MY RANDOM THOUGHTS

A blog of my thoughts on the many things that i am experiencing at home and in my job...nice articles gathered from the web...my recipes...travels... and also the hopes and dreams of whatever I may think of and feel like writing about...confessing my inner thoughts, opinions, or whatever to the world wide web...

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Location: Talamban, Cebu, DOHA, Qatar

Married and was living with my wife and an only child in Cebu City before becoming an Overseas Worker in Qatar...I am again at a crossroad in my life... another stage is set in my professional career I have just move on to another job as an HR Manager and now my present job is being a Top Executive in a general contracting firm in the middle east...i'm an acoustic amateur guitar player on the side who loves reading almost anything that I could get my hands on...

Friday, March 31, 2006

God Exist

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said :

"Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say so." "Why do you say that?" Asked the client. "Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of a God who permits all of these things."
The client stopped for a moment thinking but he didn't want to respond so as to prevent an argument.

The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy). Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber:

"Know what? Barbers do not exist." "How come they don't exist?" asked the barber.
"Well I am here and I am a barber." "Noo!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street."

"Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me." "Exactly!" affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist, what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him that's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Another Commencement Address For Batch 2006

Commencement Address - Ateneo de Manila University - March 27, 2004 By
John L. Gokongwei, Jr.

I wish I were one of you today, instead of a 77-year-old man, giving a speech you will probably forget when you wake up from your hangover tomorrow. You may be surprised I feel this way. Many of you are feeling fearful and apprehensive about your future.

You are thinking that, perhaps, your Ateneo diploma will not mean a whole lot in the future in a country with too many problems. And you are probably right. You are thinking that our country is slipping-no, sliding. Again, you may be right.

Twenty years ago, we were at par with countries like Thailand, Malaysia,and Singapore. Today, we are left way behind. You know the facts. Twenty years ago, the per capita income of the Filipino was 1,000 US dollars. Today, it's 1,100 dollars. That's a growth of only ten percent in twenty years. Meanwhile, Thailand's per capita income today is double ours; Malaysia, triple ours; and Singapore, almost twenty times ours.

With globalization coming, you know it is even more urgent to wake up. Trade barriers are falling, which means we will have to compete harder. In the new world, entrepreneurs will be forced to invest their money where it is most efficient. And that is not necessarily in the Philippines. Even for Filipino entrepreneurs, that can be the case.

For example, a Filipino brand like Maxx candy can be manufactured in Bangkok-where labor, taxes, power and financing are cheaper and more efficient-and then exported to other ASEAN countries.

This will be a common scenario-if things do not change. Pretty soon, we will become a nation that buys everything and produces practically nothing. We will be like the prodigal son who took his father's money and spent it all. The difference is that we do not have a generous father to run back to.

But despite this, I am still very excited about the future. I will tell you why later. You have been taught at the Ateneo to be "a person for others." Of course, that is noble: To serve your countrymen.

Question is: How? And my answer is: Be an entrepreneur!

You may think I am just a foolish man talking mundane stuff when the question before him is almost philosophical. But I am being very thoughtful here, and if I may presume this about myself, being patriotic as well.

Entrepreneurship is the answer.

We need young people who will find the idea, grab the opportunity, take risk, and set aside comfort to set up businesses that will provide jobs.

But why? What are jobs?

Jobs are what allow people to feel useful and build their self-esteem. Jobs make people productive members of the community. Jobs make people feel they are worthy citizens. And jobs make a country worthy players in the world market.

In that order of things, it is the entrepreneurs who have the power to harness the creativity and talents of others to achieve a common good. This should leave the world a better place than it was.

Let me make it clear: Job creation is a priority for any nation to move forward.

For example, it is the young entrepreneurs of Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore who created the dynamic businesses that have propelled their countries to the top. Young people like yourselves.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, progress is slow. Very little is new. Hardly anything is fresh. With a few exceptions, the biggest companies before the war-like PLDT, Ayala, and San Miguel-are still the biggest companies today.

All right, being from the Ateneo, many of you probably have offers from these corporations already. You may even have offers from JG Summit. I say: Great! Take these offers, work as hard as you can, learn everything these companies can teach-and then leave!

If you dream of creating something great, do not let a 9-to-5 job-even a high-paying one-lull you into a complacent, comfortable life. Let that high-paying job propel you toward entrepreneurship instead.

When I speak of the hardship ahead, I do not mean to be skeptical but realistic. Even you Ateneans, who are famous for your eloquence, you cannot talk your way out of this one. There is nothing to do but to deal with it.

I learned this lesson when, as a 13-year-old, I lost my dad. Before that, I was like many of you: a privileged kid. I went to Cebu's best school; lived in a big house; and got free entrance to the Vision, the largest movie house in Cebu, which my father owned.

Then my dad died, and I lost all these. My family had become poor-poor enough to split my family. My mother and five siblings moved to China where the cost of living was lower. I was placed under the care of my Grand Uncle Manuel Gotianuy, who put me through school. But just two years later, the war broke out, and even my Uncle Manuel could no longer see me through. I was out in the streets-literally.

Looking back, this time was one of the best times of my life. We lost everything, true, but so did everybody! War was the great equalizer. In that setting, anyone who was willing to size up the situation, use his wits, and work hard, could make it!

It was every man for himself, and I had to find a way to support myself and my family. I decided to be a market vendor.

Why?

Because it was something that I, a 15-year-old boy in short pants, could do.

I started by selling simple products in the palengke half an hour by bike from the city. I had a bicycle. I would wake up at five in the morning, load thread, soap and candles into my bike, and rush to the palengke. I would rent a stall for one peso a day, lay out my goods on a table as big as this podium, and begin selling. I did that the whole day.

I sold about twenty pesos of goods every day. Today, twenty pesos will only allow you to send twenty text messages to your crush, but 63 years ago, it was enough to support my family. And it left me enough to plow back into my small, but growing, business.

I was the youngest vendor in the palengke, but that didn't faze me. In fact, I rather saw it as an opportunity. Remember, that was 63 years and 100 pounds ago, so I could move faster, stay under the sun more, and keep selling longer than everyone else.

Then, when I had enough money and more confidence, I decided to travel to Manila from Cebu to sell all kinds of goods like rubber tires. Instead of my bike, I now traveled on a batel-a boat so small that on windless days, we would just float there. On bad days, the trip could take two weeks!

During one trip, our batel sank! We would have all perished in the sea were it not for my inventory of tires. The viajeros were happy because my tires saved their lives, and I was happy because the viajeros, by hanging on to them, saved my tires. On these long and lonely trips I had to entertain myself with books, like Gone With The Wind.

After the war, I had saved up 50,000 pesos. That was when you could buy a chicken for 20 centavos and a car for 2,000 pesos. I was 19 years old.

Now I had enough money to bring my family home from China. Once they were all here, they helped me expand our trading business to include imports. Remember that the war had left the Philippines with very few goods. So we imported whatever was needed and imported them from everywhere-including used clothes and textile remnants from the United States. We were probably the first ukay-ukay dealers here.

Then, when I had gained more experience and built my reputation, I borrowed money from the bank and got into manufacturing. I saw that coffee was abundant, and Nescafe of Nestle was too expensive for a country still rebuilding from the war, so my company created Blend 45.

That was our first branded hit. And from there, we had enough profits to launch Jack and Jill. From one market stall, we are now in nine core businesses-including retail, real estate, publishing, petrochemicals, textiles, banking, food manufacturing, Cebu Pacific Air and Sun Cellular.

When we had shown success in the smaller businesses, we were able to raise money in the capital markets-through IPOs and bond offerings—and then get into more complex, capital-intensive enterprises. We did it slow, but sure.

Success doesn't happen overnight. It's the small successes achieved day by day that build a company. So, don't be impatient or focused on immediate financial rewards. I only started flying business class when I got too fat to fit in the economy seats.

And I even wore a used overcoat while courting my wife-it came from my ukay-ukay business. Thank God Elizabeth didn't mind the mothball smell of my overcoat or maybe she wouldn't have married me.

Save what you earn and plow it back.

And never forget your families! Your parents denied themselves many things to send you here. They could have traveled around the world a couple of times with the money they set aside for your education, and your social life, and your comforts.

Remember them-and thank them.

When you have families of your own, you must be home with them for at least one meal everyday. I did that while I was building my company. Now, with all my six children married, I ask that we spend every Sunday lunch together, when everything under the sun is discussed.

As it is with business, so it is with family. There are no short cuts for building either one. Remember, no short cuts.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, your patron saint, and founder of this 450-year old organization I admire, described an ideal Jesuit as one who "lives with one foot raised." I believe that means someone who is always ready to respond to opportunities.

Saint Ignatius knew that, to build a successful organization, he needed to recruit and educate men who were not afraid of change but were in fact excited by it.

In fact, the Jesuits were one of the earliest practitioners of globalization. As early as the 16th century, upon reaching a foreign country, they compiled dictionaries in local languages like Tamil and Vietnamese so that they could spread their message in the local language. In a few centuries, they have been able to spread their mission in many countries through education.

The Jesuits have another quote. "Make the whole world your house" which means that the ideal Jesuit must be at home everywhere. By adapting to change, but at the same time staying true to their beliefs, the Society of Jesus has become the long-lasting and successful organization it is today and has made the world their house.

So, let live with one foot raised in facing the next big opportunity: globalization. Globalization can be your greatest enemy. It will be your downfall if you are too afraid and too weak to fight it out. But it can also be your biggest ally.

With the Asian Free Trade agreement and tariffs near zero, your market has grown from 80 million Filipinos to half a billion Southeast Asians.

Imagine what that means to you as an entrepreneur if you are able to find a need and fill it. And imagine, too, what that will do for the economy of our country!

Yes, our government may not be perfect, and our economic environment not ideal, but true entrepreneurs will find opportunities anywhere.

Look at the young Filipino entrepreneurs who made it. When I say young-and I'm 77, remember-I am talking about those in their 50s and below. Tony Tan of Jollibee, Ben Chan of Bench, Rolando Hortaleza of Splash, and Wilson Lim of Abensons.

They're the guys who weren't content with the 9-to-5 job, who were willing to delay their gratification and comfort, and who created something new, something fresh. Something Filipinos are now very proud of.

They all started small but now sell their hamburgers, T-shirts and cosmetics in Asia, America, and the Middle East. In doing so, these young Filipino entrepreneurs created jobs while doing something they were passionate about.

Globalization is an opportunity of a lifetime-for you. And that is why I want to be out there with you instead of here behind this podium-perhaps too old and too slow to seize the opportunities you can.

Let me leave you with one last thought.

Trade barriers have fallen. The only barriers left are the barriers you have in your mind. So, Ateneans, Class of 2004, heed the call of entrepreneurship.

With a little bit of will and a little bit of imagination, you can turn this crisis into your patriotic moment-and truly become a person for others. "Live with one foot raised and make the world your house." To this great University, my sincerest thanks for this singular honor conferred on me today.

To the graduates, congratulations and Godspeed. "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam". Thank you.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law,and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family.

And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about.

I just did. Have a great day! We just have to be more considerate of the needs of

others rather than our needs.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Another Knock on the door...

I've been sending my CV and resume through email to some companies that I have chosen to send them to...behold...I got an email response from one of the companies saying or thanking me for my interest and that they would soon send me the details of my schedule for the job interview...I am happy when such things do happen...I'm really eager to get a break and start a new job...but i still have to be more patient and pray more for help and guidance from above to lead me to make the right decisions when the time comes...I thank you again God for these graces...

Monday, March 27, 2006

On Decision Making!!!

The story given below is quite interesting and really gives us an insight into DECISION MAKING.

Which one will you choose?

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange.

You could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make. Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess.

Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.

But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place? Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.

This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are.

The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him. The friend who forwarded me the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe.

If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be
made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

"Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular
isn't always right."

Sunday, March 26, 2006

A world Without Hope

The weekend has brought me lots of hope...After my interview last Friday...I couldn't get over the excitement and joy that I have felt during that day...a feeling that I have not felt for quite sometime...I know that If I would be called upon to take responsibility for the said task in the development of the organization of the new company that I would be working for...I know that it will not be an easy task to do...but I am not daunted nor will I be overwhelm by the things needed to be done...During the past few weeks...my emotional state of mind has been quite uneasy...I would be having depressing thoughts ...then I would have positive thoughts with my desires and hopes...then the difficulties that I need to face will always be there to shake me back to reality...then I would again have new hopes and dreams...my mind would race against my expectations and the reality of life will check in...If it would be my destiny to join this company then it is God's Will That I will do so...If it is fate that has brought me upon their doorsteps...then it is what I was brought forth to fulfill...I remember the story of Pandora's Box...when all the other negative forces were unleashed from the box dur to Pandora's curiosity...and there was one voice calling out from the inside of the box...asking Pandora to be set free upon this world...and it was hope...and Pandora set Hope free to roam the world...to heal humanity of evil...imagine a world without hope...life as we see it would all be worthless...and lifeless...we shall be doomed to defeat against negative forces...if we lose Hope...Thank God for the virtue of Hope...

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Are You A "B" Person?

The following are excerpts from a story written by a certain Harvey Mackay...

...the professor stood before his class of 30 senior molecular biology
students, about to pass out the final exam.

"I have been privileged to be your instructor this semester, and I know how
hard you have all worked to prepare for this test. I also know most of you
are off to medical school or grad school next fall," he said to them.

"I am well aware of how much pressure you are under to keep your GPAs
(Grade Point Average) up, and because i know you are all capable of
understanding this material, I am prepared to offer an automatic "B" to
anyone who would prefer not to take the final."

The relief was audible as a number of students jumped up to thank the
professor and departed from class. The professor looked at the handful of
students who remained, and he offered again, "any other takers? This is
your last opportunity." One more student decided to go. Seven students
remained.

The professor closed the door and took attendance. Then he handed out the
final exam. There were two sentences typed on the paper:

"CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE JUST RECEIVED AN "A" IN THIS CLASS. KEEP
BELIEVING IN YOURSELF."

So, tell me, would you have stayed? Or would you have played it safe and take the offer of a sure "B" as your final grade? This sets achievers apart from the rest. Achievers take risks. Achievers will always take on the challenge for excellence. And most importantly, achievers are not satisfied with B's. Next time you're faced with a similar situation, try staying on. For all you know, your professor night
just be doing a little test on you.

Friday, March 24, 2006

A Possible New Home For Me

Thursday evening March 23, 2006 at aroung 8 pm... received a call...I was informed that I had been scheduled for interview at NL located at Compostela, Cebu...I was to report at their office by 10 a.m. of March 24, 2006...I was a bit surprise to hear from this company because they had a wanted ad for a Staff position and I just emailed my resume to them using the method of cold calling...wherein I made a List of companies with email adds and I just applied and sent my CV through email...with the hope that my cv will be placed in a talent bank or a database of applicants and when they do a meta search of their data base...my cv or name might come out...but then again...I was called...so I took the details of my appointment...went online...and did some research on the company that I had an interview with...the company was founded last july of 1998 and was making home and garden accessories...furnitures...so the next day...I had an appointment with fate...and went to the interview...I took a jeepney ride to compostela... I stopped at the corner of UV gullas in compostela and took a habal-habal ride to their plant which was in a secluded part near some hills...at first I was interviewed by the HR Officer, followed by the plant manager, I told them that I never expected to be called because I was already a manager and they needed a staff for personnel and i was informed that my resume was particularly noticed by one of the owners and that she wanted to see and talked to me...I was informed to wait further because they were already coming to the plant...after 11 am, I was called to the nearby office for the interview...In my impression the interview went well and I was able to express myself I also saw that the company also had a vision...and that we were able to share some common thought and issues...I felt I nailed the interview...and that it ended in a very positive note...I hope I am not just being too positive about it but I did feel pretty good when you know that your skills and knowledge are being sought after...one of the main questions that was asked of me was why i want to leave the company i'm working with for 8 years...I said that I had to go because I had lost the passion for my job...the fire that should be burning inside me is gone...what meaning is there when your purpose for existence has been taken from you???This is all because management has not supported the organizational development activities and plans that I have made...the only purpose that is left for me in my present job is to be the hatchet man...when some employees are to be removed...my advocacy to help others help themselves is gone...anyway...where ever this oppotunity may lead me...its a brand new start for me...I'm very hopeful that I could again be given the chance to do what I do best...although its quite far from the city...I could not care less...I believe I have found again a purpose for my existence...hopefully negotiations will push through and the salary i'm asking for will be given...then I could start a new life and belong to a new home...a home that I had been searching for quite some time...will my quest for a new job found its final chapter???...Will I have landed my dream job?...Will fate be kinder to me and give me a happy work life?...Will I be given a kind and good management that will support me??? then... we will see in the following days...abangan... I also wrote an email letter to Ms. cathy to thank her for giving me the chance to be interviewed...I felt a rekindling light has been turned on...I am quite happy today...Thank you Lord for your blessings!!!

Nice Graduation Message for Batch 2006

Butch Jimenez, head of PLDT's media and strategic communications department, delivered this speech at the UP Diliman Class 2003 commencement exercises:

AS college students, you're just about to set sail into the real world. As you prepare for the battleground of life, you'll hear many speeches,read tons of books and get miles of advice telling you to work hard,dream big, go out and do something for yourself, and have a vision.

Not bad advice, really. In fact, following these nuggets of truth may just bring you to the top. But as I've lived my life over the years, I have come to realize that it is great to dream big, have a vision, make a name, and work hard. But guess what: There's something better than that.

So my message today simply asks the question, What's better than...?

Better Than being Negative

Let's start off with something really simple. What's better than a long speech? No doubt, a short one. So, you guys are in luck because I do intend to keep this short.

Now, let me take you through a very simple math exam. I'll rattle off a couple of equations, and you tell me what you observe about them. Be mindful of the instructions. You are to tell me what you observe about the equations. Here goes:

3+4=7, 9+2=11, 8+4=13, and 6+6=12. Tell me, what do you observe?

Every time I conduct this test, more than 90 percent of the participants immediately say, 8+4 is NOT 13, it's 12!

That's true and they are correct. But they could have also observed that the three other equations were right. That 3+4 is 7, that 9+2 is 11, and that 6+6 is 12.

What's my point? Many people immediately focus on the negative instead of the positive. Most of us focus on what's wrong with other people more than what's right about them.

Examine those four equations. Three were right and only one was wrong. But what is the knee-jerk observation? The wrong equation.

If 10 people you didn't know were to walk through that door, most of you would describe those people by what's negative about them. He's fat. He's balding. Oh, the short one. Oh, the skinny girl. Ahhh, 'yung pango. Etc.

Get the point? It's always the negative we focus on and not the positive.

You'll definitely experience this in the corporate world. You do a hundred good things and one mistake-guess what? Chances are, your attention will be called on that one mistake.

So what's better than focusing on the negative? Believe me, its focusing on the positive. And if this world could learn to focus on the positive more than the negative, it would be a much nicer place to live in.

Better than working hard We have always been told to work hard. Our parents say that, our teachers say that, and our principal says that. But there's something better than merely working hard. It's working SMART.

It's taking time to understand the situation, and coming out with an effective and efficient solution to get more done with less time and effort. As the Japanese say, "There's always a better way."

One of the most memorable case studies I came across with as I studied Japanese management at Sophia University in Tokyo was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies.

The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a box of soap that was empty. It immediately isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty.

Management tasked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast.

But a rank-and-file employee that was posed the same problem came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Clearly, the engineers worked hard, but the rank-and-file employee worked smart.
So what's better than merely working hard? It's working smart.

Having said that, it is still important to work hard. If you could combine both working hard and working smart, you would possess a major factor toward success.

Better than dreaming big

I will bet my next month's salary that many have encouraged you to dream big. Maybe even to reach for the stars and aim high.

I sure heard that about a million times right before I graduated from this university. So I did. I did dream big. I did aim high. I did reach for the stars. No doubt, it works. In fact, the saying is true: "If you aim for nothing, that's exactly what you'll hit: nothing."

But there's something better than dreaming big. Believe me, I got shocked myself. And I learned it from the biggest dreamer of all time, Walt Disney.

When it comes to dreaming big, Walt is the man. No bigger dreams were fulfilled than his. Every leadership book describes him as the ultimate dreamer. In fact, the principle of dreaming and achieving is the core message of the Disney hit song, "When You Wish Upon a Star".

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are; anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do," as Jiminy Cricket sang.

But is that what he preached in the Disney company? Dream?

Imagineering

Well, not exactly. Kinda, but not quite. The problem with dreaming is if that's all you do, you'll really get nowhere. In fact, you may just fall asleep and never wake up.

The secret to Disney's success is not just dreaming, it's IMAGINEERING.

You won't find this word in a dictionary. It's purely a Disney word. Those who engage in imagineering are called imagineers. The word combines the words "imagination" and "engineering."

In the book "Imagineers," Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, claims that "imagineers turn impossible dreams into real magic."

Walt Disney explained there is really no secret to their approach. They just keep moving forward-opening new doors and doing new things, because they are curious. And it is this curiosity that leads them down new paths. They always dream, explore and experiment. In short, imagineering is the blending of creative imagination and technical know-how.

Eisner expounds on this thought by saying that "Not only are imagineers curious, they are courageous, outrageous, and their creativity is contagious."

The big difference with imagineers is that they dream and then they DO! So don't just be a dreamer, be an imagineer.

You must have all been given a lecture at one time or another about the importance of having a vision. Even leadership expert John Maxwell says that an indispensable quality of a leader is to have a vision. The Bible also makes it very clear that "Without vision, people perish." So no doubt about it, having a vision is important to success.

But surprise! There's something more potent than a vision. It's a CAUSE. If all you're doing is trying to reach your vision and you're pitted against someone fighting for a cause, chances are you'll lose.

The Vietnam War is a classic example. Literally with sticks and stones, the Viet Cong beat the heavily armed US Army to surrender, primarily because the US had a vision to win the war, but the Vietnamese were fighting for a cause.

In the realm of business, many leaders have visions of making their company No. 1, or grabbing market share, or forever increasing profits.

Nothing really wrong with that vision, but take the example of Sony founder Akio Morita. He did not just have a vision to build the biggest electronics company in the world. In his biography, "Made in Japan," he reveals that the real reason he set up Sony was to help rebuild his country, which had just been battered by war. He had a cause he was fighting for. His vision to be an electronics giant was secondary.

What's the difference between a vision and a cause? Here's what sets
them apart...

No one is willing to die for a vision. People will die for a cause. You posses a vision. A cause possesses you. A vision lies in your hands. A cause lies in your heart. A vision involves sacrifice. A cause involves the ultimate sacrifice.

Just a word of caution. You must have the right vision, and you mustb be fighting for the right cause. In the end, right will always win out.

It may take time, and it may take long. But if you have the right vision and are fighting for the right cause, you will prevail. If not, no matter how sincere you are, if you are not fighting for what is right, you will ultimately fail.

Two final quotes

Allow me to end with two quotes that I have lived by ever since I stepped out of UP.

The first comes from the Bible, which says, "To whom much is given, much is required."

Having been given the opportunity to study in UP, no doubt, much has been given to you in terms of an excellent education. Don't forget that in return, much is now required of you to use that education not just for yourself, but for others.

And as you move up and start reaching the pinnacle of success, even more will be required of you to look at the welfare of others, of society and of the country.

Though I have often dreamed of addressing any graduating class of UP Diliman, I never really thought it would happen. This brings me to the second quote I have held close to my heart as I traverse the destiny God has laid out for me.

"There is no destination beyond reach of one who walks with God." My standing in front of you today, as the youngest commencement speaker of this esteemed university in 92 years, is proof of how true that quote is.

A final review:

* What's better than focusing on the negative? Focus on the positive.
* What's better than working hard? It's working smart.
* What's better than dreaming? Imagineering.
* What's better than doing something for yourself? Doing something for your country.
* What's better than a vision? A cause.
* What's better than a long speech? Definitely, a short one.

Thank you and congratulations, UP Diliman graduating class of 2003.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Somebody Called...Somebody's Knocking...

Somebody called the house and wifey was able to answer the telephone call...it was a long distance call from Manila...It was because I have applied on-line in the internet ... this is one of those new high tech means and technologies where one may submit an on-line application to many companies who are in the internet...I could remember quite very well that a few years back...one has to make a lot of hard copies of one's application letter and resumes and send it through lbc, jrs, or mail to the company one has chosen to apply...that was a very costly endeavor...but nowadays...with the advent of the internet and email and its technologies...one could send his application and resume to multiple companies on the net using not more than 10 mouse clicks at that...the time have really change...these new technologies have also change the shape and methodology of recruitment in the Human Resources Industry...most companies that have homepages in the net also have features where one may drop and submit his CV at their websites...I am also presently using the technique of cold calling in my search for a new job...its a way wherein the applicant chooses the companies that he wants to apply to and submits his CV even when there are no vacancies that are available...the more companies you send to...the more chances of getting a job interview or opportunity...sometimes your resume will end up in a data or talent bank somewhere...and who knows your CV might just come out when a meta search engine is activated???...anyway...the guy that called said that they got my application from jobstreet.com where I have posted a resume/CV and that I had applied there...I had some feedback that if you don't join the priority application option at jobstreet your application would go nowhere...you need to shell out something like one grand more or less to activate that option but I didn't I am using the free option of jobstreet...they said that they were from sykes...and that they were verifying some details on my resume...they asked for my landline number and that they were going to call me for a short interview...and of course wifey called me to let me know...but as of today the call had never materialize...anyway...If they do call I'll try to do my best to nail the job interview...hopefully...

Monday, March 20, 2006

Proverbial drop in the Bucket

There were many instances when we are facing many difficult moments or situations in our life...and one of those situations is when somebody makes a mistake and we are too eager to castigate them...to criticize them at that...I guess that's the easiest reaction that we can give to somebody who falls short of our expectations...or some one who has wronged us...but I dare at times to disagree...it is during these times that we must extend our patience...and where necessary...give these people a second chance...but there are truly times when I do get tempted to strike back at those who do us wrong...no mercy for such people who take advantage of other people...specially for those who disguise themselves as people out to help us but actually they are just waiting for us to make a mistake...I truly despise such pretenders...but then again we must strive to do good...even when others are not...in spite of all the odds that are against us...we must not be pulled to the dark side of things...when we do something good...no matter how small the act or deed that it may seem...it is a proverbial drop in a Bucket...compared with all those instances where people would rather chose to do something bad rather than something good...specially not for their families...but for other people that they don't even expect anything in return...

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Each Sunday MorningI look forward to the classified ads of the local newspaper of Cebu which is Sunstar Daily, it has been like this since I started my quest for a new Job since march of last year. There were Sundays when I could browse these ads while taking my coffee...sometimes there were available jobs openings with similar qualifications for my current position as an Manager and there were times that there were practically none…I would sometimes ponder and would like to believe that these days…seniority in terms of one's work experience in your present disposition in your job does not count that much not because of the lack of knowledge and content but rather due to the fact that the number of people entering the job market is on the verge of overwhelming the nature and type of job that you have...there's just too many people...so that the qualifications for a certain job are degraded to the point that quantity and not quality is what matters aside from the fact that people with experience would demand a higher compensation and at that point the cost of such a person counts as a factor...In the process it is possible As you age in your job you will have lesser chances of getting a dream job of your own choice...either you specialize in a certain field or you strive to become a generalist...I would still like to believe that there is a premium for seniority in work experience at that point...another observation that I have arrived at is with regards to the age requirement for the position of being a Manager... I have observed that the qualifications listed for such jobs is indeed getting younger…these days with a minimum experience of three years on the job…one could be immediately promoted to a managerial position….(one year as assistant and 2 years as supervisor)…but a few years back during my prime…one does not become a manager that easy…It was still a very difficult climb on the corporate ladder...you need to master a lot of key competencies before you could slowly make your way to the top of the food chain..so to speak...during my climb I had to spend 3 years as an assistant or associate and another 3 years as a supervisor plus another 3 years as an assistant manager…before I became a full Pledge manager… there was a time when as an assistant manager…we had a vacancy for the position of our department Manager…I was openly campaigning for that position but to no avail…We hired a manager from another company to fill in that position…I even asked my Japanese Manager why I was not considered? I believe then that I had the necessary qualities...I was young…aggressive…talented…intelligent…gung ho...I was a leader…why was I not considered? My Japanese boss told me…yes you had all the right qualifications for the job except that you are quite too young!!! He told me that to become a manager you need to have a deep understanding of a lot of things and you need that certain level of wisdom specially in making decisions…and this such wisdom comes of age and work experience...but then again maybe times are changing...the traditional way of becoming a manager has really outlived its ways and usefulness...the trend these days is really fast tracking...almost everything is being fast track... and people are promoted lacking qualifications but are expected to fill up the expectation as they go along their jobs...they are allowed more opportunities to take risks and chances in making mistakes...which may in turn be costly...some may not be able to rise up from the errors or lapses in judgement that they may make...but then again that maybe its just a perception of mine ...and I hope I maybe wrong...because experience is really one of the best teachers one can have...it is during these times that veterans like me do have the advantage because I am Easy, Easy like sunday mornings...and thats the way it should be...according to me of course...

Friday, March 17, 2006

I Miss My Mom 2

When you hear the old cliche "The only time that you realize how important some people or some things are to you is when you lose them" for some we do take these matters for granted and it may be hard to comprehend during those times but fact of the matter is that is really true...I could still remember very well in my nemories how my mom would put us to sleep... I would hear my mom's distinct humming of a tune which some what works just like a lullabye...my mom can carry a tune...and each time I hear a mother putting her baby to sleep by humming a tune...i would instantly remember my mom...In all honesty our mother really did a good job in raising us...even during those times that amoung our brothers we notice that she had a favorite sibling...we could not really point a finger because she knows how to balance her attention on us...what I really did notice about her is that you tend to become the favorite child not because of anythings else but only because you needed more help... so those brothers who rarely need help would complain of favoritsm ...but mother knows best...and for sure...someday we will find the reasons behind why mother took care of the child who needed her most in terms of support and guidance...During the day my mom was to be buried...I was not the best of being a good son...I had lots of problems...I was into drugs...I was in drinking hard...I had my own group of bad company with me...To make the description of me more nearer to reality...I was the bad sheep...the prodigal son...most of my relatives and family have given up on me and would even say I would not wonder if he ends up in prison someday...or I don't think anything good will come out of this guy...or he does not have any chance at all of making a life for myself out of this world...but till the end I knew my mom never lose hope in me...when the funeral march was about to begin...I was together with some of my aunties in an ante room at the house as we were preparing ourselves for the march...all of a sudden I could not stand up...I felt so heavy my knees just simply gave up and I was crying and crying...I couldn't understand how I felt during that moment...I kept on crying and telling my aunties that I could not stand up....after almost five minutes...I could again stand up...and I asked my Titas what happended to me? and one of my Titas said "You don't understand what happened to you...your mom was saying her goodbyes to you...she embraced you so hard...that was the time that you felt the "Heaviness" of your body and that your knees could not support your body!!! Then I ask them why me???This didn't happened to the rest of my brothers???My auntie told me that My mother was really worried about me...she could not leave this world thinking that his son still has a problem...and that she wanted to remind me to do my best to make her proud someday...today...I am a manager in a construction company...People...from my relatives to my family never thought that I could absolutely take a 180 degree turn and change my life all over...to them it was impossible...but it is possible...I have become a happily married and responsible person...and my only wish was "only If my mom could see me now...She would be very happy...beaming in delight and a very proud mother...because I do believe that have turn out to be a good son...though I never did get the chance to Let my mother see How I have turned out to be...but this means a greater responsibility for me to show to the rest of the people that good things do happen to people when they believe...that they can be good...to themselves...to others...because their moms have taught them to be good...and to do good"

Monday, March 13, 2006

I Miss My Mom

I lost my mom in 1982...she died in her sleep...many a person will tell you that such type of passing is reserved for the good at heart...It was a terrible loss for the family...She was 49 years old then...she died of a massive coronary failure (heart attack) during her sleep...I could still remember that day when we were just talking casually at the house...she even cooked our dinner during that fateful day...and before she went to sleep she would always ask me to massage her legs )specially the part of her legs that has varicose veins) and her arms...and at times during the day time she would always ask me to be her assistant at the kitchen when she cooks...I learned a lot of recipes from her that way...She's from Binalunan, Pangasinan, a true blooded Ilocana at that...I like the way she cooks fried fish in saluyot...and she also likes bagoong a lot...She came from a very poor family...I could remember when one time she told me that her family's subsistence at times is just salt and rice...which is why she always reminded us not to waste food...because when she was young they hardly had any...During the next morning we tried to wake her up...and we were staring to cry realizing that our mom was gone...but she just wouldn't wake up...we tried massaging her body but couldn't get a response...We called an ambulance that brought her to the hospital but she was declared DOA...My mother was not in the best of health...she had asthma attacks...she had a wide array of medical problems...she has had some kidney operations to get rid of gall/kidney stones...she has hypertension....and she has high blood pressure...I really couldn't say that that has nothing to do with raising six brothers...In her siesta time...she would ask us brothers (we were all boys) or would point out to a sibling that she wishes that her white hair be pulled out by tweezers which is making her head itchy until she sleeps...and at times she would ask us to massage her legs and varicose veins and us brothers would even push and shove which brother should do such tasks because none would volunteer...but always a brother would be left with the dreaded task...even when she would request us to fully massage her arms and legs..we would all slowly make our way out of the room but a brother would be caught to do these dreaded tasks...but now when I think about those times...I would always miss my mom...and I would not hesitate to volunteer to do these task now...but my mom is gone...and I would never get that chance ever again...so if your mom would be asking you to do such a request for her...absolutely go about it and don't think twice...you might never get to do that for her...in her life time...I still miss my mom...she was such a great mom to six brothers...each time when 2 brothers will have a fist fight...she would come between the brothers and give each brother a kitchen knife...saying "Well since you don't want to stop fighting...might as well kill each other in the process...if you don't love your brother"...then the fight would stop...then she would say..."I thought you wanted to kill each other...but I really don't think so...."She would then ask both brothers to embrace each other for an hour or so "asking them to sit down embracing each other and that's in front of a picture of our great chinese grandfather who had no hair (bald)...and bespeckled (rounded glasses just like John Lennon)...its the kind of picture that when you look at grandpa's eyes...he seems to be looking back at you...such an intimidating presence is made upon you just by looking at the said picture...I remember the time when my father had visa/immigration problems that he had to go back to H.K. to stay there for one year just to fix his papers...my mom was left on her own devices to take care of the six of us...Ina na...tatay pa...But She did well...during those times...She even raised hogs on the back yard just to augment the family's income to pay for our tuition fees in Sacred Heart School For Boys...I could still remember helping my mom feed and clean the hogs for a period of 3 months until they were ready to be sold to the market...She was a fighter...She also went to operate a small carenderia...that caters to the employees of the company my dad was working for...my mom was always seeking ways to make our eductation and life better...but even just by playing her role as a plain housewife she tried to do her very best and that has taken its toll on her body...Our Parents would always want the best for their children...and what can we as children give them back?...This reminds me of a declamation contest That I joined at the instance of my class advisor...during my high school years at Sacred Heart School For Boys...My class advisor was so good in providing me the training and motivation for this activity that I truly beleive I was the clear winner...I practice every day for two months and when the day of the competition arrived I brought my father and mother to school to watch my performance (they were beaming in delight that their son was a contestant...they must have thought at least they were not being ask to come to the school because I didn something bad!!!)...the declamation contest was in English but both my father and mother are illiterate (meaning no read and no write)so I guess they really couldn't understand a word that was spoken at the audio-visual room (AVR) where six contestants tried their best to give their interpretation of their declamation piece...my piece was entitled "The Good Thief"...well...I only came in at third...I didn't win the competition...I wanted so much to win that I did cried hard after losing...and after the activity...I went to approach my parents and my dad said "You were very Good Son"...but I told them not that good because I didn't win...my mom told me...You are wrong!!!The moment that you took to stand up in that stage and finish your speech...you have already won!!! MOms will always be like that...I never did thank you for that...it stopped my tears for blaming myself for the loss...All my Love Mommy where ever you are!!!

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Walking the walk of Life

Walking has always been a universal experience for all kinds of people in life...Its a very common experience that it is not really notice such as the first time when one as a baby had stood up and took their first steps...from crawling...to standing...in learning how to balance our bodies to walking...to running...Walking is relatively easy...and in itself is a self paced activity...its also one of the best exercises that we can do to stay fit...here in our country we could almost take a ride from one point to another...using trisikads, tricycles, habal-habal motorcycles, jeepneys, buses, taxi's..etc...but when you travel to other countries that rely more on their mass transit systems...you really have to WALK to get where you want to and literally walk FAST...its not brisk walking its really walking fast in their urban jungle...I have experience this when I went to Tokyo, Japan and more recently to China and Hong Kong...Walking for me has become an integral part of my day...I would walk to the corner from the house to take my jeepney ride to the Highway and another ride to the Office...In going home I also do take the same route...although I sometimes take taxi's when I'm in an appointment...most of the time I do take the public transportation...and it would cost me only P26.00 pesos vice versa (that would be 676 in a month)...I could not imagine how much That would cost me If I had a car and use it in coming and going to my place of work...the price of gasoline these days would only get you less than 3 liters at 100 pesos...not withstanding the cost of maintenance/spare parts...when you are just a working middle class earning your salary for the day...that matters...There were times when people ask me...sir...asa man emo service? then I would look them eye to eye and tell them I'm standing on my service...which is my walking shoes!!! taking the public transportation gives you the opportunity to meet totally different kinds of people...very masa and dating...you are also exposed to the street's pollution...and sometime's when you're lucky you get to sit beside a very fragrant lady in mini skirts or ladies that wear plunging neck lines exposing skin that is quite harmful to the naked eye...but then again one has to act as if nothing has transpired...most of these things I would not be experiencing If I had a car...and not be walking the walk of life in the streets...The only things that I despised when I am walking are the rains, wet pavements and cars that don't give a shit for pedestrians...and your particular askal...asong kalye that might be a danger to your legs...so you have to keep away from such animals...when you walk the streets try to look from afar...when you see some clusters of drunk or suspicios people who will be on your path...go and cross the other side of the street to avail such people

Friday, March 10, 2006

The bug got me!!!!

It's been two days that I have been down with the flu...this was not going to be an easy bout...one can easily notice if one's resistance is up to it or not...I was asking myself how did i get the bug???I could faintly recall while waiting for a jeep at Ayala...there was a short drizzle...what we normally would call "Inday-Inday" kind of rainfall...I never did mind the rain then so I got a little wet on the head and shoulders...that was a monday...and the effects would hit me by wednesday when symptoms start appearing...like head aches...burning sensation around the eye sockets...a little cough...when I awoke by thursday morning...it was quite clear to me that the bug got me...I tried to contain the whole thing by taking paracetamols...but to no avail...I tried to go to work and but every hour it was just getting worst so I just left the office a little early and prepared myself for the big fight. I tried taking lots of fluids...hunkered down to bed...got on a thick sweat shirt on...and tried to sleep it off...but by midnight I was shaking all over...chilled to the bones...I was shaking so much that I had difficulty in breathing...I was literally breathing through my mouth...I took my medicine again and after a hour or so...my breathing went back to normal although the heat of my body and hands were sill there...Fever...I was fighting feverishly...I don't even know if I was conscious or not because I was drifting in the middle of it due to the high fever I was experiencing...there were all black and white dreams were passing in or out of my consciousness...I was still fighting for my body temperature....when I awoke the next morning...it was a friday...I just couldn't make it to work...I had to stay home some more and sleep the fever off my back...I had dried lips...bad breath due to the many medicines I had taken...I was not ablt to take a bath...My body temperature was a mess...I didn't have the appetite to eat...wifey was always at my side...I knew she tried to sleep but I knew she really can't because she had to watch over me...I lost the battle on the first night...but in going to the second night...I was more prepared...I took my medicines every after 4 hrs....wifey had to wake me up at times to see to it that took my medicines...my body temperature was starting to become normal...I was literally convalencing myself...but only with the passage of time could I regain my strength...and by Saturday morning I could report for work again...there were still things I need to do at work...Its the transition from cold temperature to hot weather that causing a lot of fever...we easily get affected when we are not careful...

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

For Those That Stay Behind To Help The Country

except for the insipidity of the news about the political crisis our country is going through...nothing out of the blue is happening...but each time that I am reminded of how we filipinos shoot our own foot and mess up our own country...Those prophetic words spoken by Manuel L. Quezon reminds me when he said "I prefer a government ran like hell by filipinos to a government run like heaven by americans"...oh so true...be careful for what you wish for...you might just get it...well we really got what we want... I really feel so bad and frustrated at the state of our nation's affairs...there were times when I really gave it a serious thought (about practically leaving the country and making do of a life abroad)...but then again I have chosen not to...when we were born here in our homeland...the resources that were used to bring us to this world were the country's hospitals...doctors...nurses...etc... when we got educated...the country's schools...teachers...books...priest...nuns...etc...all poured their resources to bring forth an intelligent and idealistic young man...who decided to instead of using his talent...skills...education...and experience for the benefit of the country that bestowed his development...he is driven by his wishes to become economically stable, to be richand free from any want and for whatever reason there may be that he cannot fulfill his dreams because this country could not give him what he wants because of its limited resources ...he has left the country to work for another country become its citizen and for that it is another society who becomes the receipient of his skills and talents...but I guess that's not for a lot of people...no matter what has transpired with the problems of our nation...no matter how our country has been politically and economically falling apart...we still have lots of filipinos who have decided to stay behind to do their share of nation building and to be a part of the society, institutions, and resources that will raise sons and daughters who may someday leave their motherland and serve another nation abroad...work for a first world country at that...send their dollars here to prop the economy...but they have left as immigrants which is different from those people who are OFWs who toil abroad to give their families a better future...but among those sons and daugters...there will be some that will stay behind...to serve their people and country...and these people are the silent middle class of society...who pay their taxes...and prop up these politicians who have no other contribution but to show how good we are as a people on crab mentality...

Monday, March 06, 2006

Monday Morning Blues

Here I am again...fervently wishing that it was not a monday...but reality bites...it is a monday...oh well...its time for my monday blues sickness...its zombie time when you have difficulty in opening your eyes when you wake up and stare at the ceiling and the first thought that enters your mind is I want to be absent from work...(sometimes the weather does affect us specially when there is an early morning rainfall) or the answer may lie in the fact that are we Filipinos really Indolent??? hmm food for thought!!! well...my mind races... let me think what would be the best reasons to tell the office or my staff...why I will be absent...someone sick in the family I had to take to the doctor?...ahhh..I am sick...not feeling well?..Medical??? fatigue?...this is my favorite...I have a personal matter to attend to?...I'll just text my office mate...or I'll just put off my cell phone...and as my drooping eyes get heavier and heavier and I was about to drift back to sleep...my wife will be blurting out "Hoy Mata na!!! Trabaho pa ka!!! Hoy mata na diha Ba!!!" and when these pleadings don't seem to work..."hatak attack"...so wifey will use the hatak attack technique by pulling the covers (comforter) while I am in the fetal position...pull my legs back...and back to "Hoy Mata Na" Ma late Naka!!!again reality bites...it's really a monday...and I have to go to work...wah!!!! and if my fuel meter level (motivation)is not really that empty...then I go through all the nuances of preparing and psyching myself up to do all the morning rituals...and talk to myself..."Hoy mata Na!!! Ma late naka":(...that is the irony of a lot of things...when we don't have a job we complain how difficult it is to get a job...and when we do get and have a job...we again complain that we're always working we need to take a break or a holiday...or when we are stress out with our jobs or hate the jobs that we do whether the routine stuff or the state of being in a work environment of having a difficult boss or co-employees ...we would rather feint sickness and stay at home...or the very least be absent (Reason: LBM - Looking for Better Management) because you have a go at a job interview for the prospect of getting a new job...but then again...you are back on earth...that is welcome back to the real world...

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Family Day

Sundays will always be family day...its always a day that I look forward to because of the drudgery of my work life...stress and all that...but as they said stress is only in the mind...though at times I relly don't think so...its just realy your decision to let it affect you or not...but then again...I couldn't wait for Sundays...I look forward to sleeping late and waking up late for no reason at all...As we grow older...we like to get more sleep...the ageing process somehow gets to you...I do enjoy sleeping like a baby during sundays...But the most awaited activity for me on sundays is my Sunday "cook a special meal" for the family day...I would always try to think of a new recipe or a favorite meal to cook for the day...this weekend I made and cook a special marinade for pork barbecue and tahong broth with native pechay aside from baked tahong with butter toppings and nanonani cooked by my wife (tulingan nga gi inononan)the family gathered around the dining table for a much awaited meal which always brings the family together...nothing tops that...

Friday, March 03, 2006

My thoughts on Recruitment

Recruitment work has always been very tedious and time consuming job...its just like an orchestra and you are the conductor in the concert ...too many things need to come together and a lot of things and factors do come along and are playing with you...I know how that feels...anyway...you still need to know when to disassociate yourself from your work and your personal time...its not that you don't know how to...its just like being a cook and a chef at the same time makes you lose your focus on the matter...so trying to play all those different roles would mess you up...if not...you are going to be a candidate for an early burn-out...and that's not good...try to look at the bright side of recruitment...you get to meet and talk to a lot of very very different kinds of people and the spectrum may vary from some that may be quite interesting to amusing and to the boring and annoying and unelegible stuff (hard to comprehend)what they are saying or talking about or the way they speak in such a way that these people that you talk to would make your eardrums ache... you become somewhat shell-shock (that feeling of numbness in your ears after a whole day of listening) you are quite tired specially sometimes when you conduct your interviews they go on a diatribe about their lives...their dreams...their hopes...you can't also help but be affected by all this stuff...you have to literally redirect your thoughts and conversation as it is going nowhere...We also do have emotions and feelings which we cannot ignore...we just can't be too laid back and be insensitive to all that's going around you and our human nature will see to it that we do get affected..we can learn from these events and stories...I can remember those times when I had to go to Manila...Iloilo...Bacolod...Cagayan...and Davao to do campus recruitment..i must have met a great number of people in many fleeting moments of interviewing them ...my hard work gets rewarded when I see those guys that have pass the recruitment process and have become productive employees of the company...its a hit and miss game...there is no sure fire way of knowing that the person you have recruited will stay with you for the longest time because people change through time...there were times when I met those people that I was a part of recruiting them in their jobs thanking me for what I have done a few years back...I feel good about that...there were even time when an employee from a previous firm I had worked for thank me when we met casually in the mall and I could not even remember their names...only their faces... there is fulfillment when in one small way or another I was able to help people through my job...

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Manners For All

01. Always Say "Thank YOu" "You're welcome"
02. Always be cheerful and polite Greet people Like "Good _________"
03. Say "Please" when asking some one to do something for you.
04. Say "Hi!Hello" when meeting other people!!!
05. Be genuinely interested in people.
06. Smile and try to be nice.
07. Say hello introduce your self.
08. Put cell phones in silent mode during mass or formal gatherings.
09. Be charitable to others.
10. Practice ethical standards.
11. Respect for other persons for who or what they are.
12. Use the proper language in speaking to people.
13. Listen...Listening is the beginning of understanding.
14. Always have self-respect
15. Be gentle to others ...(Gentleness as a character quality)
16. Show refinement of character
17. Be truthful even if it hurts.
18. Be modest and practice humility above all else.
19. Refinement and humility begets patience...be patient to others
20. Obedience and respect to authority.
21. Right manners are an expression of sincerity.
22. Always be clean.
23. Always put your best foot forward.
24. Honor your commitments.
25. Fulfill your promises to gain loyalties.
26. Control your temper and emotions.
27. Say "Goodbye" when the time comes...
28. Always respect your parents.
29. Always be punctual.
30. Be helpful to others.

Keeping the Faith

Today I feel little mess up...stress out or sad...depressed ...because my search for a new job still has gone nil...nada...and the drudgery of my present job is eating me inside out...At first I really wanted to just quit...resign...just to set myself free from the negativity that I am feeling and experiencing...but the thought of my family keeps coming up...though I do have some savings...which could support my family during those times that I will be looking for a new job...nothing beats a job that is waiting for you when you quit...if my situation had happened a few years back...i would just basically leave my job...and who cares what happens...but things are very different now...anyway...I could still do that but that would be selfish...my family wouldn't want me to do that...I am the bread winner...I could not afford not to have a job...so the waiting and hoping continues...I need to get strength from my family who understands my problems...the difficulty lies in Keeping the Faith...That there is a better job out there waiting for me...the congruence of events, decisions, and other factors have not yet still happened for me and I hope it will happened soon...I am hopelessly burned out in my job and the feeling is like having burned to the ground...Let me see light when darkness is all around me... when I feel dejected and down...when inspiration has left you and you no longer have the drive to go on...when such emptiness inside has a grip on you...you need to rise up above such things...find the strength to keep your head and chin up...Seek God for comfort in all your difficulties....Please Help Me....

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Like Ghost that haunts you from the past

There are many times or moments of solitude when I sometimes think about the mistakes that I have made in my life ...I sometimes think that I have already done my time in terms of being sorry for myself...feeling remorseful why I have done such things and i would believe that I have paid my dues with regards to these mistakes...but still there comes a time when I am face with a very difficult situations or experiencing great difficulties in my life that these mistakes go back to my thoughts to haunt me ...is this my karma? have I not done enough good deeds to have paid for my dues???Have I not suffered enough for my mistakes??? Have I not been set free from these thoughts...have I confess my mistakes more than enough to not feel guilt...or to carry such guilt all these times even after the years have pass???Is it a continuing learning curve for me that my past mistakes is a historical marker or milestones in my life so that I would not forget not to repeat such mistakes ever again...How Will I be ever to expel these ghost that haunts me or will I have to live with them for the rest of my life...

The Honorable thing to do

These modern times I sometimes wonder if people still take a high regard with regards to one's honor, dignity, and self worth. After being presented with various situational crisis on our daily life we ask ourself the question of what is the most honorable thing to do...when face to face with amoral people...when face to face with adversity ...when face to face with enemies who only want to bring you down...our difficulty lies in our hearts because most of the time our minds tell us to do the logical thing but we are afraid because our hearts are full of vengeance, hurt feelings, and we are distraught ...and when the you asked yourself what is the most honorable thing to do...we quiver...we procastinate...we are afraid to take a stand...we are afraid to hurt other people's feelings and sensitivity...we are aware that why should i care about other people sensitivity when they don't give a shit about my disposition???but the drive to do what is not only right but what is morally right should always be the winner...if you are at the right or correct side...you do not have to fear nobody...Delicadeza requires one to exercise their moral and ethical obligations to others. Delicadeza involves the perception of being above board as well as the enactment of socially acceptable, moral and ethical behaviours. "BEING TRUE TO WHAT IS RIGHT." The virtues of Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Courage, Perseverance, Honesty, Loyalty, Duty, and Faith. Honor involves being true to our word. If a man gave his word he was expected to keep it.To live honorably means to remain true to what is right in spite of pressure to do otherwise. Even if no one is watching!

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