spectator

a chapter ends



another one awaits

4s

[tagged by debz]

4 Jobs I had in my life
1. batch representative
2. programmer
3. tech lead
4. project leader

4 Movies I could watch over and over
1. A Walk to Remember
2. My Little Bride
3. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
4. With Honors

4 Places I’ve Lived in
1. Manila
2. Novaliches, QC
3.
4.

4 TV show/channel I love to watch
1. Living Asia
2. Etc
3. Arirang/WINS/NHK/CTV/TTV
4. GMA 7

4 Places I’ve been on vacation
1. Baguio/La Union
2. Isabela
3. Ilocos Norte
4. Bangkok

4 Websites I visit daily
1. Pinoyexchange
2. Gmail
3. Yahoo mail
4. friends' blogs

4 of my favorite foods
1. Tofu Steak
2. Grilled Squid
3. Pasta
4. everything mama prepares

4 Places I’d rather be by now
1. In school
2. Angkor Wat
3. Beach
4. Laos

i n e f f i c i e n t

why do we have inefficient government employees and offices?

incident 1: SSS office

since my dad has been pestering me to get my sss id, i (mom accompanied me actually) decided to process it yesterday. it turns out that they have a cut-off time for the id processing and i didn't make it. i understand that, and i have no problem with that. what i don't get was why the person won't give me the form i need to fill-up so i can accomplish it anytime and just proceed to the next steps the next time i drop by their office.

incident 2: nbi kiosk in tutuban/nbi office in carriedo

i'm not required to submit an nbi clearance for my next employer, but i thought i'd renew mine just the same in case i would need it. i thought there won't be a hassle because there's the renewal kiosk. unfortunately for me, there's someone out there having the same name as mine supposedly and i have to verify my clearance at the carriedo office. eventhough i initially didn't want to proceed there anymore, we still did. wrong move. although there were only 2 procedures i had to undergo, i was surprised when the officer said i can get my clearance the next day! he wants me to come back to their office just so i can have that clearance?!

sheesh...
it was such a waste of time, really.

one for the moms (and the dads too)

From Friday's Philippine Star:

We six remaining children have gotten used to Mom calling us in the morning to check on us. Last Monday, late in the afternoon, as i was waiting for the cab, I gave her a call. She was so glad to hear my voice and explained that for that day, she refrained from calling any of her children and waited for who would remember her. "You are the valedictorian, Ina, only you remembered," she said. I was cut to the heart, for the reason I chose to call her was so I could quickly hang up in case the cab arrives. It's plain old Mom, remember? And I didn't even miss her call that morning.

And that is how it is with us children. Our parents love us with intent, unconditional and devoted while we love them in return almost by accident, because it's convenient. Like Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie wrote, "Parents rarely let fo of their children, so children let go of them. They move on, they move away. The moments that used to define them - a mother's approval, a father's nod - are covered with moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, when the skin sags, and the heart weakens that the children understand; their stories and their accomplishments sit atop the stories and accomplishments of their mothers and fathers, stories upon stories, beneath the waters of their lives." - Marina Toreres

lovely weather

good time to sit back and relax or sleep all day.

best part of it, it's not raining.

pure bliss.

sobra

sobrang windang ako for the last few days and weeks.

halos araw-araw may ginugulo akong ex-officemate or kaibigan para humingi ng second opinion.

finally, malinaw na lahat.

hopefully, totoo na ito.

thank you VERY much sa inyo (alam nyo na kung sinu-sino kayo).

voice over

lucas' on the 4th episode of One Tree Hill's season 3:

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: ‘There is no privacy that cannot be penetrated. No secret can be kept in a civilised world. Society is a masked ball, where everyone hides his real character, then reveals it by hiding.’

26

It was the 26th of February that time. I was waiting patiently inside this company's premises. Good thing I wasn't alone as there were two other guys also waiting for certain people to give us instructions. At that time, I knew I was both nervous and excited. It was after all my first day at work and after more than two decades of studying, I am finally in the workforce.

Through my stay, I learned to both love and hate everything - from the people to the projects.

Initially, I told myself I'd only give myself two years to be in the IT field. After that. I would quit and study full-time. Turns out I would be eating my own words because even though it seemed that I never ran out of complaints, I stood by this company for three years.

Why?

Because even though some say that I could be earning more from another company, compensation doesn't really matter that much to me. As long as I get to save a certain amount and at the same time spend for the things I need and want I am already contented.

Because even though I am assigned to their sister company and we are considered a minority there, I never felt the discrimination the others felt. I was fortunate enough to have become friends with most of them in fact, even the project managers themselves.

Because even though almost everyone I knew the first few years have long resigned, I can still work harmoniously with these new people.

Because even though schedules of projects tend to be unrealistic and unreasonable, I welcomed the challenge of keeping up with the pressure. They never had any attendance problems with me. While most would immediately be on sick leave after a very long overtime work, I would still come in on time the next day (even if I don't get to sleep anymore, just as long as I get to take a bath).

Because even when if I think I am nothing compared to other engineers, people there believed in me. I used to complain every time a new module is being assigned to me because it's usually considered a difficult module. And then I realized that they probably wouldn't assign me something unless they thought I wasn't capable of developing it. I may whine at times, but I always took it upon me to deliver and on time as much as possible.

These are the reasons why. And there are more.

Honestly speaking, there were instances when I really thought I couldn't take it anymore, when I thought I needed to move on. And on the 26th of May, I will be officially saying goodbye to this company.

My sister has been advising me, pushing me even, to go and look for better opportunities. That it's high time I move out of my comfort zone. So around March, I did what many have been urging me to do. I updated my resume and sent it to friends (so they could in turn forward it to their HR). For the first company I tried, I took their exam totally unprepared (no reviews or whatsoever) because what I was after was getting the feel of taking an exam. So on the second company, since I reviewed, I was more confident taking the exam. Only thing was, during the technical interview, I felt like I was being grilled – that the interviewer was really giving me a hard time. (I was literally grimacing right in front of him). On the third company, it was I guess the easiest one of all, just two interviews that I
believe I did well. As for the last company, it was again an interview where right there and then I bluntly turned down (I still wonder if I made the right decision though, I could've been given another chance to go back to Japan).

And although they made a counter offer to me, I stuck by my decision to move forward. That, or maybe it's because the people around me now are proving to be difficult to work with. Or maybe it's because I don't believe in the new management. Or maybe because I am running away from the responsibility they have given me this time. Or maybe I am, plain and simple, getting bored.

Whatever.

Sometime in June then, I'll be like a new kid in this school. Back to square one, back to proving my worth. Only good thing is that I won't be friendless there.

Oh but I'm still praying. Praying that I made the right move.