Can’t wait to write about this even though i still have not organized my thoughts. Just excited and must get this out of my system.

The title speaks for itself. Mentors actually are a great factor in the success of your undertakings.

I have two already. Yipeee!

If you still don’t have one, gotta find one ….now!

I was never so afraid in my life than when i was on my graduation day. I thought back then, “now what?”. I did not know what a day would be like when I am not in school. It is never the same taking a vacation when you get to relax. As our graduation day closes out, the anxiety of what the future would bring was already pounding. What if when I get to the end of my fruitful life and i would never be able to accomplish the things i foresee for my self? What if all the things i will be taking will actually draw me farther away from that goal? What if?

A lot of uncertainty. Looking back, I realized they were all because of two things:

1.  foundation for my future life was not so strong when i was young, and

2.   focus on the goal instead of the journey

I remember when i was in grade three. We had an assignment about what we wanted to be when we grow up? Such question was so easy even a toddler would be ready to answer. While going through the assignment one night, I recalled my father mentioning that I would become an engineer. Such foreign sounding word was so pleasant to my ears. I was so excited getting into bed that night because  I can’t wait for the morning to come to tell my classmates about it.

Truly, the next day, i never got tired of telling my friends and my teachers about my ambition. And the only things i related the word to were bridges and buildings. And i was able to pull through every discussion.

However, as i was moving up my elementary days, all i was pre-occupied about were gardening tools, baseball bats and a couple of dolls. I was never fascinated with fast cars or how a plane works, or be amazed with tall structures. More so my mathematical ability was crippled eversince. Yet being an engineer was foremost in my mind.

Until now I wish i was an engineer. Had I been directed to it’s fundamentals, my life’s road could have taken a different turn.

Maybe because they thought I was too young to understand such things. If the conditions were right, chances were these motivating factors could have greatly affected my knowledge of the things that i want before they were set before me. I believe so because even up to now, a scene of me playing that toy airplane given by my father when I was two years old is still so vivid in my mind. The “bolitas” (a small metal ball) enclosed inside the airplanes body and covered with clear plastic cap rotated as the wheels sped up to a mechanical thrust.

There were large industries dedicated to these needs and careful considerations were taken before they actually come out of the market. I am referring to the motivational tools like toys and books a child can have early in life. Yet in our part of the world, toys were considered as rewards for not misbehaving. Instead, those neurons which could have been established for a long term connectivity in a child’s brain were directed nowhere.

Enthusiasm is one thing, knowing the pre-requisites and taking it is another. That’s what’s nice about school. In a pre-determined number of years and having completed all the requirements, you definitely know where those efforts would be going to. Consciously or unconsciously, your actions and their results are determined by the curriculum.

In life, this is the thing that we lack about (there might be something written somewhere but would only take an obsessive-compulsive detective to piece together the clues to know where they are!) On the contrary, much publicity has been given to superficiality. That is why, everyone wants to be come a supermodel. All they see is the limelight, the fame and the money but none before my time was given any attention on the what it takes to become the next top model. (Thanks, Tyra!).

Shameful as it is, only when I was pouring sleepless nights watching National Geographic’s Megastructures on cable did I know what an engineer really does and understood what it takes to become one. (And to tell you, that was not long ago.)

These shows, entertaining and informative, yet the principles are the same:

1.   start early in life. invest in yourself.

2.   you can never be better without someone telling what’s wrong with you or what you do

3.   learn the industry

4.   build your portfolio

5.   the road is never easy

6.   and the possibilities are endless.

Though the lesson was learned way past may formative years, the implementation can always be started at anytime. That’s what’s good about life. It is never a race.

How I wish i could have done more care to my face, my skin, my body and my teeth. How i look right now is the reflection of my neglect and lack of a regimen for their proper care and maintenance. And the result of which are costly and artificial to counter, much more, irreversible.

Had I paid more attention to myself and exerted effort to know and get into my system the basics and facts of these things, I would not have trouble now of knowing what should i do and what works. Putting astringent, applying creams, getting into the latest brands, i considered these little of my concerns as i have more important things to worry about (like studying my notes, readings books, finishing my assignments).

Ignorant as i am, I didn’t know that such things could be done in tandem as most of the people I know have no trouble doing so. Amazingly, they are the most successful persons in their fields.

Media as it is, they pose these people’s faces as the most coveted and advertises only the products they use (Well, most of them we cannot afford.) When asked what they did in order to achieve such success, generally, their reply is “do the things that you do” and that’s it. (Yeah! We’ve been doing that and nothing has been near to reality yet). There’s nothing more to digest more from that.

Having a little free time to reflect on things, i made my own analysis based on the people I know and have made small contacts with. (Please note that I made no personal interview with them on this subject.) It was only based on my observations on the things they do and what have been the effect to the their personality, work and personal life. Below are the observations:

1.  the things they are good at were acquired early in life. Most of the people who become experts in their certain fields did not attain such status by just earning a certificate. Generally, I have observed, their inclination to such things were inspired by prior experiences. It could be someone or something early in their life that gave them enthusiasm and was sustained ever since.

2.   they have balanced their lives in keeping themselves on top of the priority among their other commitments. The well being of a person depends on how he perceives himself compared to the other aspects of his life. Putting oneself aside has a tremendous effect on one’s personality later in life even though his decisions were notable when they were made. A beautiful clear skin makes a difference than just wearing a designer tailored suit. A smile with pearly white teeth is more outstanding than glittering jewelry. Such things in order to achieve nowadays are very costly especially with the advance in technology. But little and mindful undertakings early in life could have made a significant distinction. Much more on the effect to one’s personality.

3.   they have become good on the things that they have been doing for many years. As they say, practice makes perfect. Well, true enough, only by doing one thing or experiencing it is the only way we would know on how to manage it. Even if we have expert opinions always available, it is more accomplishing if we have tried them ourselves. In this life, everything is relative as people cannot be contained on a certain category. One’s perspective is different from another and that makes the human experience more meaningful. Getting into the action, weighing the pros and cons, getting the results and assessing your next move is the way of becoming critical. I believe this is how some people have become smart and intelligent. If you ask them why? It is because they have gone through it.

4.   they have made commitments on them. This is no ordinary commitment. (Not the usual thing we know like making it to your appointments or following your schedule.) Most people that i know are go beyond the learning and putting into action. They get into the trend and design it for them. Some on the small scale like participating in communities or focus groups that affects them. Others take on the larger scale of enacting their belief and principle into laws or regulations if need be.

Basically, everything that takes them where there are now are in the habit that’s been developed over the years. It comes easy to them because the activities, the mind set and the required coordination were already inculcated into their system. This is the thing where we most fail. We have been waiting for the right thing at the right time and all the while we have been missing on things we could have been. The small things we undertake today defines our future (and our faces). Invest in yourself and start now (though the cost would already be higher nowadays). And the rest will follow.

Hello!

An addition to your chamber of treasures, a box full of priceless possessions:

ceramic vegetable - represents food / health

silver photo frame - visualizes your goals in life

leather notebook - a memoir for your learnings and imparted knowledge

album with an old map of the world - a relic to remind you of your family, friends and experiences

book charm made of crystal and silver beads -brings you closer to the thing you most love, “READING”

angel / fairy resin sculpture- represents your never ending hope for anything possible in this life

box of Asian inspired “Thank You” cards -embodies our gratefulness to everyday  blessings

All enclosed in a handmade ornate wooden box, beautiful, strong and secure - a thing that personifies our Lord Almighty.

Have a blessed and happy birthday!

Angie

I always do my laundry every Thursday night. Just wanted to get it out of the way during the week and have my weekends free. At least I don’t have to drag myself home in a hurry just to do it after an afternoon of traveling to a sunny, sandy beach or a long walk of window shopping.

Only for this week that i deliberately missed that event due to the fact that i don’t have detergent anymore. I remember pouring the last cup on my laundry load the previous week. It was still from the bottle Peerida gave me before she left for Thailand. Now that I needed to buy another bottle, can’t get over the feeling that the best things in life are actually free.

In the days that passed before my laundry day, going to the grocery was not planned as I had to finish a certain portion of my project everyday in order to meet the deadline. Or i will rush to the store beating the closing time.

But, if i will not do it tonight (Friday), i don’t have anything clean to wear anymore. So after an exta hour of working on the project, i headed to the nearest grocery and picked up anything that i tought i needed.

Once i got to my room, i still had not started on sorting the soiled clothes. My mom and my brother called. Then we spent more than an hour of updating each other’s lives. When we were done, i still got a little strength to continue what i had planned to do. Started sorting the whites and the colored. Put them into a laundry basket. I had to carry them to the laundry room.

Since the basket was heavy if i carry them with the bottle of detergent and fabric softener, i decided to bring them first to the laundry room also to check if nobody was there on the line. (Who would be up that late at night just to do laundry…i think only me in this part of the world. (,”).

Got the room clear. And off i carried the basket to the completion of my task. Ooops…the quarters..I gotta have the quarters. Can’t do laundry without the quarters.

I always have this difficulty of managing this part of the laundry task. You gotta have quarters equivalent to $1.5 for one load of laundry. I have two loads so I need $3 plus $1.5 for the dryer (I combine the two loads to save money on the dryer). Anyway, if i need to iron, it’s available and the electricity is already been taken care of.

Going back to the quarters. I normally do not keep cash. I have to go to the bank just to get it. And that’s already trouble for me cos I need that to be put in my schedule just to get it done (which i usually do not and keeps me fogetting i had to do it) cos for the most part, using the card is way more convenient. But not in this laundry room.

One night, a couple of weeks back, i ran out of cash and had to do my laundry. Human nature as it is, trouble gets you to the most outstanding options to resolve the crisis. And certain resolutions come up which you do not think possible under normal circumstances. And surprisingly, they exist or you came upon them but you do not think they would come in handy. That is how life unfolds. They do not post signs that some things are coming up and that you need certainthings to prepare for that. Or if they have, you are too ovewhelmed of the information it brings.

Anyway, what happened was, i decided i will issue a check. The admin office where i am staying has this check cashing service for max of $50. But before going down, i called to make sure they can encash it at this very hour. Unfortunately, they were low on cash and will not be able to do it.

Getting late and running out of options, i called Carol on the phone to help me. I was thankful she was kind enough to pick it up. Asked her if the cash back option in the grocery nearby would be able to solve my crisis (i dont know what it was but I always encounter them whenever I buy from that store. That’s me, stubborn. I dont learn cos i never question anything.) Immediately after hanging up I went directly to the store.

It doesn’t end there. I am not the only in the same crisis. Even though I got my cash from the cash back option at the grocery, but they did not have quarters to exchange my bill. This gave me a relief that I am not the only one having trouble. This made me think, that my problem is beyond my capacity. It is the laundry room that thas to adopt to changes or give me this trouble everytime i do my laundry. But anyway, that is another story.

Got my cash, went back to my place and excange my bills with quarters at the admin office. They can do that cos that’s one handy service they do not falter. I ask for that service every week.

This time i am already covered. I can do my laundry now.

I don’t have to bother you going through what’s happening there. The procedure is the same, only differs in technology.

Got the laundry out of the way on a weekday night. Though, i finished past 12 midnight…still it is out of the way of a lovely Saturday with myself (no plans of going out or heading somewhere).

It’s been planned for more than two weeks that August 29, Friday night, will be movie night for Kim (my boss) and me. We are going to use the movie coupon’s Kelly (Kim’s friend) gave Kim for the "Dark Knight". The venue will be the same theater where we usually go to, the Mann Theater at the Promenade in Thousand Oaks.

Came Friday morning, the weekend before the Labor Day. To wrap up before getting into the holiday mood, Kim came to my office to discuss some work stuff and last minute information on the movie plan.

Checking the schedule from the net, turned out that the "Dark Knight" was not on the Mann Theater schedule anymore. Kim realized that Friday is actually the day they change pictures. Now, we were looking for options. After several searches for movie schedules and theaters nearby, we opted to go to the Promenade at the Woodland Hills, near Kim’s place. However, the schedule for the Dark Knight will be at 8:10 P.M. This being so late, Kim suggested that we exchange the ticket with "The House Bunny" movie (if they would allow it) and get an earlier schedule or may decide to go malling instead.

At 5:00 P.M. we were already driving through 101 going south. We were slowing down through traffic until three exits from Topanga Canyon. After arriving at the Promenade, we headed to the ticket booth to inquire.

We weren’t lucky. We were not able to use the movie coupon as this theater was not participating to the coupon and it will expire the following day. Instead of spending 10 bucks and watch The House Bunny, our plan B was already unfolding. We transferred to another mall, Westfield, which is huge and yet with things that are affordable.

First off, Kim took me to "Sorabol", her favorite Korean restaurant. I knew I was starving and that Kim said that it was good, i ordered a combination of chap chae and brown rice for the carbs, barbeque chicken and beef short rib for the main course , and kimchi and mushroom on the side. That was a meal good for 4 persons of my size. But no, i was able to finish it all. And still had room for a cup of Stabucks Mint Mocha Chip Frappoccino.

Since we already ate like cows, we have to shed them all out. A good walking around the mall and all of it’s floors was the way to do it. Kim introduced me to her favorite shopping brands and boy oh boy, i did some damage on a sweater, a polo shirt (quite a steal at 2.99 for the original price of 16), a tank top, and a white long sleeved shirt. Kim also bought a cute top and a necklace for herself. These will be our outfit for the Universal Studios on Sunday (August 31).

It was already at the mall’s closing time that we headed home. Kim had to drive me back to my place, took her car and drove herself back to her place.

I am lucky. Who has a boss who sometimes drives for you, waits for you as you finish your meal or bears with you as you try to fit some clothes? And yet never complains? That i could never get from the Dark Knight movie or The House Bunny.

(Kim, sorry for driving me most of the time. You know I am still nervous driving on the freeway. And this Sunday, I am facing it all again. As for waiting for me while i finish dinner… How can i stop? The food was sooo good and i was starving. And for waiting for me while I fit the clothes… we’ll you got me into it. The stores are awesome and have very reasonable prices.)

PANTS…..that’s what it is, right?

Nope….I have my own version….Sisterhood of the Traveling Sweater.

Seriously!…Within my circle are Carol Ireland, Cecille Santos and Tina Lim. (Although they might not now know it.)

It’s been four months already
since I got here . I am much more
comfortable with the weather now because it is already summer season. Unlike
when I arrived here wherein it was still late spring, it was very
cold for me who came from a tropical country. Even then, I didn’t have trouble
warming up immediately because there were a lot of people here who made my stay
warm and welcome. The day after I arrived, I already had lunch with Sunee
Pattharavayo. She
showed me where our office headquarter is and the grocery near to the hotel where I will be temporarily staying until I
will be transferred to an apartment. It is only one block from the Residence
Inn and can be accessible by walking. Another day later, I was already on my
first day in the office and was introduced to people I will be in contract with
during my tenure. Carol Ireland, my officemate from the same department, almost
like a mother to everyone, Cecille Santos and Tina Lim, also from the Philippines who are
now working here permanently, knew my sweater won’t do any good to the kind of
temperature inside and outside the office. That is why they shared a couple until I was able to shop and buy for my own (though i still keep using them!!!).

The special of all was the one forwarded to me by Cecille which, she said, came from Tina. I am the 3rd generation. I may not know what their story with that sweater might have been. But definitely, you will know mine…you’ve already seen it. It’s one of the posted pics. Guess which one?

I don’t know anybody who does not like corn. Pests infest the corn fields even before it is due for harvest. Aliens are also making them a part of their intergalactic mysteries as evidenced by the corn circles. Who knows, this might be the only link that will take us to the universe and beyond.

For some people, this is a staple food. For me, this became an extension of my self.

Silence and oblivion are my temporal relief coming to a place i know i would be having difficulty blending in. Still, I am fortunate that some people just knows what other people feels deep inside and tries to relieve that uneasiness.

Carol Ireland, my office mate, who is almost like a mother to everyone, always holds this Friday night dinner at her house. Everytime, there is a newcomer into the gathering. At my first attendance, I finally met Carol’s next door neighbor whom i always hear stories about. The next, it was Amanda and a whole family. Lately, another officemate from the upstairs building went with her husband.

When I met Linda, Carol’s next door neighbor, it was also then that I was able to savor Carol’s famous corn. That night, trying to evade my bashful instincs, i was ill-fated to be caught in a conversation I cannot vindicate even at the outset. It became a lesson the next time when I met Amanda and this whole family. I only made my way to the kitchen and the food and mumbled incomprehensively as we watched MONK.

Prior to the second gathering, I was quite reluctant to commit because experiencing the same shameful scenario was not a smart thing to do. But, the schedule itself became a mandatory event in everyone’s calendar once you know Carol. I remember confirming my attendance by asking if corn would be served.

Carol’s dinner menus are new every time and tasteful. But the corn itself and the ritual preparing it, is always enticing my taste buds to look forward to the dinner every Friday night. This time the corn won’t be served.

All the more reason to forego and make excuses of conflicting schedules. But she knows what I do so I can’t make one up. Pleading, I asked if corn will be included in the menu. There’s still time to change. Even in this urban jungle, corn is hardly out of stock in the grocery. She finally agreed on conditions that I will bring it and prepare it so it wont be off the menu.

That night, despite Amanda being friendly all the while and this family cordial, i still resorted to my temporal relief. Glad it went well without hitches. Before the night ended, everyone remembered the corn and Carol was already trailing my name and the story behind it.

The next schedule, I didn’t have to ask. I volunteered to bring the corn the second Carol sent the invite. This is confirms that corn will not be out of the menu because I will make a way to make it a part of the meal. My name has been trailing behind the corn as Carol tells the story to the couple on the table. As for me, the temporal relief always comes handy.

Even though these people would not know me very well in those encounters, part of my self in my silence would be shared with them because of the corn story. I know Carol already made this tradition of keeping corn on the menu. Little did she know it was more than food she was serving.

Maybe most of you have experienced that when you are anticipating something big to happen, especially when it is a culmination of a milestone in your life, something towards that day warns you to be extra careful or you may not get there alive. Something about travelling, scares the heck of you, especially when the driver tries to overtake and you think he is carelessly speeding you up to your death. Something about doing a certain thing inappropriately, brings about your anxiety  that you think it might cause an untimely accident.

The things that normally do not matter to you are magnified into immense proportions that usually affect your behavior only within that period of anticipation. Your senses are surprisingly keen and your judgment are biasedly anchored towards that anticipated event. And you think that the events are all leading to the scene where you are at the center stage.

That was the only moment that you think your life mattered afterall.

i actually wrote this note at exactly 4:46 A.M.
that’s what the clock in room says
my brother’s wrist watch is at 4:32 A.M.
i found it on top of the computer rack
it’s 4:59 A.M. on the clock at our living room
the kitchen clock is at 4:46 A.M.
same with the clock in my mom’s room.
but the watch i am using to wake me up and tells me to go to office is already at 5:03 A.M.
what time is it in the office?

10:30 in the evening

when i came in this morning, my watch is 30 minutes early than the time in the office.
no wonder i cant seem to figure out our daily MTP A.M. schedule.

cos when i get to the pick-up area, the jeepney is not there yet.
maybe i was too early or too late

Ma’am Boot’s…ano gani oras dira sa imo?

(this was before the MTP pick-up point for Polomolok route was transferred near Joel A.’s house.)