[November, 2009] The Outburst

We are only people. We have feelings. We get hurt. We reach our maximum level of tolerance. And this could have been the reason for my emotional outburst this month. But a more specific contributory could be the volume of workload that was put into my hands this month and pressure that was attached to it.

Alongside this personal issues were national events that ultimately involved every Filipino. And I would like to give emphasis on the Maguindanao Massacre.

First Week: “A Run for the Pasig River”

First week of the month started off with an activity called “A Run for the Pasig River,” a marathon, which aimed to generate funds for the rehabilitation of the dying Pasig river.

The event was initiated by ABS-CBN Foundation. But to make things easier on the part of the Lopez Group, the Group’s registration was assigned to our office since we are handling employee wellness programs. Things went really fast and suddenly, I just realized that the task was already given to me. It was such a huge and complicated task – registering all Lopez employees to the marathon and that everyone gets his or her race kits on time. The worst part of it was that it included money (which I’m really not good at handling). Haha!

Fast forward, the deadline of registration came and I was able to register them all. Problem was the releasing of kits. Well, the main problem was with ABS’ supplier who was not able to comply with the requirements. But then we had to assure our participants that everything was under control, which was not easy. We had to take all the complaints and all the bad comments they were giving. It was bearable. But what I didn’t take was the “implicit” blaming I got from an office mate. I don’t want to elaborate on that much but I really felt underappreciated that time. I felt like my efforts didn’t, at all, help. Aside from that, I felt like I was all alone. I confronted her and told her my issues and we managed to resolve the problem.

The event went more than okay. I just hope the people around me would have been more sensitive and supportive. After all, we are a family – as they label it.

Second Week: Disaster Risk Reduction Forum

Second week was another busy week. This time, we had to prepare for a forum on Disaster Risk Reduction. It was pretty manageable than the previous week’s activity.

The forum was held on November 13, 2009 at the Meralco Mini Theater. The foundation was lucky to have The Manila Observatory Team led by Executive Director, Ms. Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga as speakers for this event. Along with her are experts Dr. Celine Vicente, Dr. Gemma Narisma, Dr. Mahar Lagmay and Dr. Jessica Dator.

“The need to prepare is real!” This was how Lopez Lifelong Wellness and Lopez Group Foundation Head, Rafael M. Alunan III opened the forum. He stressed that with the current state of the world today, “climate change and global warming alone will affect everything from national security to health and water supply,” thus, discussing Disaster Risk Reduction is essential because it will help save lives and will also improve the nation’s capacity to survive in the future. Furthermore, he also mentioned that the better informed we are the less damage to lives and property.

Meanwhile, Fr. Carmelo “Tito” Caluag who gave an inspirational message shared the trademarks of The Manila Observatory that makes it an authority in the fields of seismology and weather forecasting. He even added that the forum could be the start of an alliance between the Lopez Group and The Manila Observatory in preparing for future disasters.

Ms. Toni Yulo-Loyzaga started off the Team’s presentation by introducing the first speaker, Dr. Gemma Narisma who gave the audience a closer view of Ondoy. She identified its magnitude, tracks, and the problems that might have contributed to its strength including insufficient drainage systems, decreased channel capacities due to housing and encroachment, disappearance of rivers, and land subsidence or the lowering of lands due to some factors.

Dr. Celine Vicente, on the other hand, talked about vulnerability and the principal rules of Disaster Risk Response, which are: mitigating the hazard, minimizing exposure, and reducing vulnerability.

Flood hazard modeling was the center of Dr. Mahar Lagmay’s presentation. He presented various maps and satellite images showing the tracks and damages that Ondoy brought specifically in Marikina. He also encouraged the audience to help the Observatory get a more complete account of Ondoy by providing information in a website (map.ondoy.googlepages.com) that provides data about the typhoon when visitors log on and fill up.

Dr. Jessica Dator focused on the Hyogo Framework of Action, which is a global blueprint for disaster risk reduction efforts. The framework includes the following actions: risk management, enabling resilience, preparedness, vulnerability reduction, being open to learning, exercising social responsibility, and psycho-spiritual empowerment.

Ms. Toni Yulo-Loyzaga ended the Team’s presentation with a final note to “never confuse the unfamiliar with the improbable” – that because something looks impossible to happen doesn’t mean it will not happen. Highlights of the controversial Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) were also briefly discussed before a short Q-and-A session started.

Third Week: Asian CSR Forum and Race to 120 Contest Awarding

Third week was not an exception – again, another busy one with two activities that had to be attended to properly.

First up was the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility held last November 19 and 20 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. A week before this actually, I'm already busy crafting my boss' Powerpoint Presentation as he was a speaker to one of the sessions in the forum. It was really educational. I've learned a lot about CSR and how the Lopezes do it. It's also nice to receive words of appreciation from your superiors. It's like more than any amount you can receive as a bonus. LOL.

Second activity was our weight-reduction contest's (Race to 120 Contest) awarding ceremony, held on a Satur day, November 21 at the Rockwell Center.

The first part of the awarding proper was the recognition and giving of certificates of appreciation to all participating companies.

The second part was the awarding of individual honors. Major awards were given afterwards. Rockwell Team 1 won third place received P 80, 000 worth of sports gear. STSI won second place and received P 100, 000 worth of sports gear. Finally, Rockwell Team 2 emerged as the champion of the competition. The team received P 120, 000 worth of sports gear plus the pride of being this year’s BIGGEST LOSER.

A Bloody Massacre

On a more serious issue, I would like to express my anger with the killers and sympathy to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

To the killers, may you still find peace in your hearts after what you've done. I hope you can still sleep at night. You know no God and thus, you don't value life. We pray for your souls.

To the victims and their families, may you find the justice you all deserve.

[Special Post] Kilosbayan's Press Statement on the Maguindanao Massacre

Kilosbayan expresses its outrage against the premeditated massacre in Maguindanao of women, journalists and innocent parties that only happened to be at the scene of the bestial crime at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Kilosbayan is appalled at the totalitarian and criminal state of governance in Maguindanao that mocks democratic processes, the rule of law and the sanctity of human life, a toxic condition that is also evident in other parts of the country; leading the world community to label the Philippines as most dangerous for journalists and one of the world's human rights hot spots.

Kilosbayan rises against the masterminds and the killers who carried out the mass murders; their accomplices and accessories to the crime; and, above all their coddlers and enablers, whose culture of impunity, entitlement and corruption make such notoriety possible and tears apart the nation's soul.

Kilosbayan calls on the entire government machinery to perform its sworn duties to apply swift, thorough and impartial justice to all those directly responsible for this unspeakable crime against humanity; and appeals to all decent Filipinos everywhere to make their voices heard and their presence felt in the epic struggle against man's inhumanity to man.

[October, 2009] Before My Eyes

This was the month where I personally got to see the effects brought by the past two typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng particularly in Manila. October was like our relief operations month in the foundation. Almost every week, we would go to a place and we would give goods to typhoon victims while making them realize that they're still lucky to -- at least -- still be alive.

Eventually, a forum on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response was conducted by our foundation in relation to these typhoons. Dr. Teofredo Esguerra of the Philippine Coast Guard and Secretary General Gwen Pang of The Philippine National Red Cross were our speakers. This forum sort of became the debfriefer to all Lopez employees.

My sister also left for Singapore this month to try working there. It was a painful scene seeing your sister leave and seeing the fear and hesitance in her eyes if she'll do it or not. But in the end, she chose to challenge herself and stick with the plan.

Relief Operation 1: Lopez Group Foundation and Knowledge Channel's Soup Kitchen Program

The first relief operation we had this month was for some evacuees relocated to Ultra, which was done last October 5. We only got to serve several people since we didn't have enough budget to get everyone covered. Actually, the goods we distributed were donations to Knowledge Channel.

On our part being members of the Lopez Group Foundation, we provided manpower. We assisted the evacuees, we carried our loads of goodies, and we facilitated the distribution.

Although it was tiring, it was also fulfilling. Seeing smiles on those people's faces while continuously uttering "thank you" made me think that I am really way too lucky than them.

We were able to give goods to about 700 people that day and some even went for another round. Haha!

It was also another good time to bond with my office mates and with other volunteers as well. In fact, even personalities like Alex Compton (the basketball player) and Jackie Forster (the actress) went there to shed some time helping us distribute the goods.

Relief Operation 2: Lopez Group Foundation, ABS-CBN Foundation and Knowledge Channel's "Tulong Balik Eskwela"

The next operation we had was done in a school in Pateros called Aguho Elementary School. Reports from the teachers we talked to that day said that the school was submerged in water (about waist-deep) during and weeks after Ondoy's onslaught. And so most school materials were also submerged and carried away by the flood.

Coming from the Lopez family's own pocket, they were able to gather up school supplies for Grades 1 to 6 and these were the goods we distributed to the students.

It was so funny seeing how those kids hugged their new bags and notebooks. Some event went out to say "thank you" to the Knowledge Channel camera.

Although we wanted to stay the entire day, we had to go back to the office in the afternoon to work on our upcoming forum. Still had a lot of pending tasks then and we promised our boss that we'll be back after lunch. We had to keep that promise. Haha!

As a side trip, an office mate invited us for lunch in her house, which was near the area. We had a nice lunch before we headed back to the office.

Forum on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response

October 16 when we held a forum on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response. Our speakers were Dr. Ted Esguerra of the Philippine Coast Guard and Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang of the Philippine National Red Cross.

It was such a fruitful discussion. The first part talked on emergency preparedness and how important self-help is in situations or emergencies where professional help is not available. I've learned that in any emergency, there's no one we can count on but ourselves. The first week of a disaster is the most critical period and so an emergency kit was presented during the forum.

The second part on disaster response discussed the right attitude towards facing a disaster. We should not always depend on the government's immediate help because in case of country-wide disasters, the government will definitely cater to those who are most affected.

As an effect of the forum, our President recently, in a half-day general staff meeting, created our own CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM. The team that will be responsible in all matters concerning the office (people and properties) during a disaster. I was placed under the communications committee.

Farewell, Sis!
Me and my siblings have been planning all of this for so long and now our plans are getting more and more concrete. October 3 marked my sister's last day in the Philippines. Haha! She went to Singapore to stay with my brother and to try working there.

Actually, it's our plan to all go there in the future and permanently reside there. And it was me who should have gone there first instead of her. But since I can't leave my job just like that, we've decided to let my sister go first. She resigned from her work. She took the risk.

To date, she's been there for a month now. She's now on for another month and I really hope that by the end of this month, she'll finally get a job.



Okay. So I guess that's it for this entry. Til next post.

Xoxo,

Benjo

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[September, 2009] A Deluge That is Ondoy

Let me devote this entire entry to a very important event that happened this month.

As my mind suffered from confusion again this month, that’s when a major catastrophe hit the country, that is, Ondoy. Who would have ever thought that minor rains would turn some areas of Manila like sunken graveyards?

As the song goes “Wake me up when September ends…,” that’s what I wanted to say during the climax of the typhoon. The deadly typhoon started hitting the Philippines the night of September 25, 2009. I was currently in the gym doing my workout routine. I didn’t go home that Friday night since we have a scheduled activity the next day. After working out, I was surprised by the number of missed calls I had on my cell phone. These calls came from my boss. After clearing the list, I immediately read my new messages. A message from my boss indicated that our activity is canceled due to bad weather. Upon knowing that, I immediately rushed to the office and made some cancellations thru phone calls.

The news didn’t bother me much. For me, it’s just an ordinary typhoon. I even went out with my friends for dinner. September 26 came and I decided to go home early bearing in mind that I’ll only be staying at home for two days so I really need to go home. It was raining when I traveled. It was still raining when I got home. Upon settling everything, I rested. Took a nap. When I woke up, there was no electricity already and the rain was still pouring. The electricity came back by 10:00 PM.

The following morning, I was surprised when my mom told me not to go to Manila because it’s flooded. A call from my tita confirmed it. She even told us that our house there is flooded. Soon, news presented the damages and deaths caused by the typhoon, scenarios that made me shiver and left me in shock.

To date, there is still flood in some areas of Manila. Some of my office mates haven’t reported for work yet. The horror that typhoon Ondoy brought to the Philippines will always remind us to take responsibility of nature.

[August, 2009] Life's Bigger Picture

I used to be so excited when August arrives. Well, mainly because I know that my birthday falls under this month. It's the time of year I feel so special to everybody's eyes. Haha! In fact up to now, I still look forward to celebrating my every birthday. But more to just feeling special on that day, what makes me more excited is the fact that I'll be starting another year in my life. Another year to explore, discover, be carefree and just live. Isn't that something I should be excited for? To have been given an "extension" and the chance to live it? And more to just being excited, isn't that something I should always be thankful for?

In my 24 years of existence in this world, I have learned that I should always be thankful to God for all that He has given me whether it be good or bad (in my belief -- haha!). I know my life isn't perfect but seeing how things are going for me and my family right now, I could say that God really loves me more than some people I know.

This month was totally chaotic but in a good way. There were a lot of events and happenings that totally got me busy. And in as much as I wanted to update my blog, I really could not. Haha! Anyway, so here goes my August entry (which is obviously late! LOL).

The Death of a Leader
Companies from our building (including ours) had been sponsoring healing masses for President Corazon C. Aquino as soon as news regarding her condition spread out. Everyone was in grief when she died just days before his husband's (Ninoy Aquino) death anniversary arrived. The entire country mourned for her loss. August 5 was declared a national holiday. It was her burial. The entire burial rites was televised so I had the chance to watch every bit of it.

President Cory Aquino is indeed one of our greatest leaders. A silent leader at that. I personally believe that she's more than an icon but a true leader and a patriot. Tributes about her after her death gave me shivers. I mean, she's done a lot for the country and it was only now that I've come to know about those things. For me, she will always be the mother of our democracy.

Arrivals and Departures
NAIA has been my playground for the past two months. Haha! July was the month of arrivals and this month was for departures. My eldest brother arrived July 17th from Qatar. That's when I had my early birthday present -- a laptop. It was my biggest present this year. I never thought he'd really mean what he said that he'll be giving me a laptop on my birthday.

Just weeks after his arrival, my other brother from Singapore also arrived just to see him. Isn't that sweet? Haha! He stayed for just a week. So the family was complete even for just one week. We savored the moment going to places , shopping, and eating. After that, they both had to go back to work.

Turning 24!
So how did I celebrate my birthday? WORK! Haha! Same day at the office. I was working on my 24th birthday. But it was okay for me since I've already had a sort of celebration at home the weekend before that. And besides, I never used to throwing out a party on my birthday. In the office, though, I had to treat my office mates because they won't stop teasing me. My cellphone won't stop alerting during that day. It was so overwhelming. I really felt special. A lot of good old friends texted me sending me their greetings. Haha!

And so the day ended. But the celebration went on til Monday since it was another office mate's birthday the following day and she had her celebration on Monday. It was a week of eating, ,eating, and eating. Good thing there's always the gym to help. Haha!

I really didn't have any birthday wish in mind but it would really be nice if I was able to go to Lady Gaga's concert held on August 7. Unfortunately it was a weekday and I had a deadline to meet the following day. Aside from that, I didn't have enough money. LOL. I bought a gym equipment instead, which was on sale at the Mega Tent. Haha!

Walk the Talk 3rd Year Anniversary
Threats of an incoming typhoon did not stop members of the Lopez Group from "walking their way to wellness" as the third year anniversary of the Walk the Talk Series was held last August 29, 2009 at the Meralco Compound Ortigas, Pasig City.

Over 200 plus Lopez employees and executives including their families and friends joined the 6-km walk around Meralco Compound and back. After the anniversary walk, a short program was held wherein winners of the 4th Lopez Lifelong Basketball Tournament were awarded. Walk the Talk special awards were also given. I was given an award for perfect attendance in all the walks from August last year to this year. Awardees got to bring home a trophy, a shirt, and three thousand pesos worth of gift certificates. Cool!

Accidental Sleepover
One long weekend, me and my high school friends decided to go out on a gimmick. The original plan was to sleep over a friend's apartment. But then things got mixed up and I just decided not to bring anything meaning, I really didn't want to stay for the night.

We went to MoA and watched "The Traveler's Wife," which by the way was such a nice movie. Hehe. After that, we stayed somewhere chatting. We even passed by an exhibit featuring photos from journalists. Took pictures then went somewhere to chat again.

Evening came and unfortunately, it rained heavily that I was forced not to go home. Besides, my friends keep telling me stuff just to make me stay. And so I did. The hassle of it -- I had to buy undergarments and a new toothbrush. Also, I had to wear the same shirt the following morning. Well, at least I got to take a bath and my friends didn't. Haha!

Small Trouble at the Mall
It happened during one of our family gimmicks in Megamall. We tagged along my one of my aunts together with his daughter and grand child. Me, my sister, and my cousin were buying drinks at Bubble Tea when suddenly my tita who was looking over her grand child started commenting on someone about "the kid almost got hit my a man" or whatever. To my surprise, the man and her were already arguing. I didn't know how to react about it since I didn't know who started and what it's all about. The next thing I knew, I was the one defending my tita. Haha! The experience was thrilling. I thought I should try that more often. Haha! Kidding!

So I guess that's about it for this month. Til next month or til the next time I feel like writing again. LOL.

xoxo!

[July, 2009] Kapamilya for a Year Now!

July officially marked my first year in the company. Wow! I can't believe that it's already been a year. I can still remember the time I first entered our office. I was so aloof, so shy. Now, it's as if I've found a second home. A home I can't easily leave. I didn't even notice that I've already gone a year in my job.

Anyway, nothing much to highlight about this month except for the arrival of my eldest brother from Qatar. Aside from this, I was once again attacked by that "gloomy" feeling, which kind of paralyzed me for quite some time. Good thing, I was able to divert my attention to my job and to other things. Twitter addiction also peaked this month. Haha! This is when I started building my Twitter account and started following celebrities even though they seldom reply to my tweets. Regular activities including the monthly walkathon was still there.

From Qatar with Love
I had to go on leave again to fetch my brother at the airport last July 17. Once again, with several family members, we had to struggle through the typhoon just to be there on time. Fortunately, I was about to text my boss about my absence when I read a text message from him suspending work that day due to heavy rains and flooding.

We were at the airport at 12:00 noon. My brother arrived at 4:00. After fetching him, we immediately went home. As expected, a lot of relatives were already in the house waiting for their pasalubongs. It was a tiring and noisy night but also one of the best because it's when I officially received my laptop. Haha! Aside from the laptop, my brother even gave me a pair of shoes and a Timex watch. Wasn't that super amazing? Haha!

Major Gloominess
Out of nowhere, this feeling struck me again this month making me feel down and lonely. I don't know. Maybe because I'm still searching for something to complete me. Haha! My purpose, maybe.

Anyway, it didn't last that long and luckily I managed to overcome it. I just had to blog it out and that's it. The feeling just went away.

The Twitter Addiction
I used to ignore Twitter. My world used to revolve around other social networking sites such as Plurk and Facebook. But when I got to learn Twitter, I started tweeting and it won't stop til now. Twitter has become a hobby for me. A way to release stress. A way to be heard. On the lighter side, it's also a tool to communicate with your idols (even though most of them don't reply).

In just a few weeks upon creating my account, I've already had 800 plus tweets, 46 following, and 60 plus followers to date. I was even shocked when an idol I initially followed, followed me too. She's Kristinia DeBarge, a new sensation who has recently released her debut album.

Certified Kapamilya...Still!
Evaluating my current employment situation, I would say that I am still a lot fortunate than any other employee out there. My one year experience with the Lopez Group has been an amazing ride. I've learned a lot of things, been to places, met personalities and a lot more.

Although there were tough times, I am proud to say that I was able to survive (and is still surviving). Besides, we all do experience -- as employees-- problems, right? It's just a matter of handling things. And even though there were times I think of resigning, I just put in mind that getting into this company is everyone's dream. So why leave when you're already there?

Kapamilya forever!

[Press Release] 2nd Lopez Lifelong Health and Wellness Fair

LOPEZ LIFELONG WELLNESS TO HOLD SECOND HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR AT ROCKWELL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: TEK-INFOVISION CORPORATION, 0917-7489352, bam@tek-infovision.com

Eleven years ago, Oscar M. Lopez, Chair of the Lopez Group of Companies, started the Lopez Lifelong Wellness Program after he saw how it would lead to a healthy and more productive workforce.

Today, the Wellness Program is on its 12^th year and for 2009, the second Lopez Lifelong Health and Wellness Fair is being planned on October 24-25, 2009 at the Rockwell Tent, Makati City.

The event will once again showcase the whole gamut of wellness and will highlight the many wellness activities being undertaken year-round by the LOPEZ GROUP. Same as last year, more than 3,000 visitors and major players in the health care industry, top corporations, media and medical practitioners are expected to participate in this event.

The event will be kicked off by a six-kilometer walkathon. There will be stimulating and interactive sessions, free diagnostics, wellness seminars and demos, a selling exhibit of health and wellness products and a lot of other informative and fun-filled family-oriented activities.

“Wellness is a critical component of a company’s pursuit of and journey to excellence.”

- Oscar M. Lopez

PRESS CONTACT:

This event is managed and organized by:

TEK-INFOVISION CORPORATION

For booth reservations, please contact: BAM RAMIREZ

Tel: (632)494-3796

Mobile: 0917-7489352

Email: bam@tek-infovision.com

Solo Dinner at Burgoo

Just last week.

I thought of eating dinner first before going home. So after leaving the office at around 7:00 PM, I went straight to Robinson's Galleria to find a good restaurant. I went up to the third level (I guess) where good restaurants are located. I ended up choosing Burgoo thinking that since there were less customers that time, I'd be served faster.

Fast track. Got a table. Jesse, the waiter immediately approached me and gave me crayons. This is one of the reasons why I like eating at Burgoo --they promote vandalism. Lol.

Anyway, so I ordered burger steak and pizza with rice as side dish. I was just really expecting that the serving time would be like from 5 to 10 minutes. To my dismay, it went up to 30 minutes. Well, the burger steak and rice arrived earlier than the pizza and I was so trying to slow down my eating thinking that the pizza would be there already when I'm done with the burger steak. Unfortunately, according to Jesse, the oven was kind of malfunctioning taking longer time to cook than the usual. So what am I to do but wait.

The bottom line of the story? Well, in that waiting period, I didn't notice that I've already had half of the table written with nonsense things. Haha! I even wrote some negative comments about the restaurant, which I think they've already read by now. I wish! Haha!

After eating, I immediately paid the bill and they still had the nerve to charge me for the service. But to show that I am a good customer, I even gave them a tip. Well, the experience was not that annoying but it was one of those I will never forget. Now, I'll think twice whether I'll eat again in that branch. Haha! :-P

LCF Expo Bits

It was my first time to attend and actually be an exhibitor for the League of Corporate Foundation's CSR Expo held every year. This year, it was done last July 9-10 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The event was a two-day affair showcasing private companies' different corporate social responsibility projects/programs thru various activities such as talks, panel discussions, plenaries, and exhibits and trade fair.

Being a staff of one of the most prominent foundations in the country, my task was to design the booth and help man it for the two days. Doing the design was such a tedious task. Honestly, I wouldn't have done it if I was all just by myself. In fact, the actual booth design was even enhanced by our contractor.

Anyway, first, we had to conceptualize (together with our partner company -- Energy Development Corporation and First Gen Corporation) about how we wanted to represent the Group. After a series of meetings, we've come up with the idea of "empowerment". This later on transcended into our theme "Empowering Lives. Serving the nation."

Eventually, the booth was designed accordingly:

On the first panel of the booth, we had the map of the Philippines showing project areas of the Lopez Foundation.The backdrop showed pictures of a forest, clear sky, and green fields. At the upper right corner marked our theme. The middle portion of the backdrop was left blank so we can play AVPs. The last panel of the booth showed children flying kites.

On the first day of the event, we had to be early for the ribbon cutting. We spent the day there manning our booth and entertaining people who would inquire about the foundation. During the second day, we had raffles and quiz contests for people so they would be more enthusiastic to come and visit our booth. Tiring, yes. But it felt good to sometimes go out of the office and experience something new like that event.

The two-day event was really fun and educational. I've learned a lot from it. I was able to meet different personalites as well as old colleagues. Also, it was another time for the team to bond and get closer together. During the last day of it, the team ate dinner to celebrate the success of the event.

Just to share how the exhibits looked like: People come to see different CSR projects/programs by different private companies. Aside from this, they were also up for the giveaways that each foundation was giving. I, myself, was even guilty of that. Haha!


Amidst all the problems we've gone through as well as sacrifices we had to make for this event, they were all worth it. The event was successful! Certified.

Random Thoughts on a Wednesday

Being alive for 23 years now would be the greatest blessing that I should be thanking God for. I’ve realized that despite my grievances and angst towards the world, I should be thanking the Lord that I am breathing, living each day with my family, friends, career, and all the other things that give me happiness everyday. I’ve realized that instead of focusing on having the things that I don’t have, why not focus on appreciating the things that I have, right?

Indeed, there is no sense in the term “perfect life” because there’s no such thing as perfect. I’m sure that no single person in this world is living perfectly – without problems or worries or frustrations. I am 100% sure that even the wealthiest person in this planet lacks a thing in his or her life that he or she wants so badly. Same is true in my case. I know, in spite of who I am and what I have right now, I know something is still missing. It’s that “something” that gives me the gloomy feeling sometimes. I still don’t know what it is but I am trying, as much as possible, to keep away from that thing. Unfortunately today, it went straight into my nerves that made me so laid back and lonely (that’s why I thought of releasing that lonely feeling through this entry. Haha!).

Counting my blessings and being positive at all times are two things that I’ve learned to develop as habits. Every morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing that I would do is to smile. The next thing would be to utter my daily mantra, “Today will be a good day!” It’s really weird but after doing these things every morning, I am able to go on with the day. At the end of the day, I would reflect.

I just don’t know what happened today that my habits were defeated by the gloominess that I feel. I am not me today. I feel lazy that I don’t want to think about my pending tasks. I want this day to be over.

I won’t surrender, though. I’ll keep uttering my mantra until I feel better. I can do this. I will do this. I will be okay. I will be happy.

Forever.

Lessons Learned [June, 2009]

Late entry again. Haha! Anyway.

June became our “Influenza A (H1N1) awareness month”. Well, I just branded it as such because it was during this month that the foundation and even the Group started taking major actions against the growing pandemic.

Personally, I am also bothered by the growing number of confirmed cases but thinking that more than half of the number recovered, it seems to me like it’s not so serious after all. The only alarming fact is that the virus is rapidly spreading. Once that happens, shortage on medicines would be our problem since the government has to prioritize those who will be given first.

Anyway, on the lighter side, big opportunities were also given to me this month – opportunities that really had to be given time and attention. I was tasked to issue A (H1N1) advisories to different companies, been asked to go out on meetings and other activities. Whew! Multitasking in its very sense. LOL. Fun, though. At least these things just prove that I’m worth my salary. Kidding! :-P

Okay. So I’ll start recapping the highlights of this month now.

Me: The Designer

Most people tell me especially my teachers before that I am creative. Well, I don’t know but maybe. Haha! I just love experimenting on things and I love seeing nice designs especially on ads. This month, that creativity in me was tested when I was asked to create a logo that will unify the entire foundation including all the member foundations and corporations. It wasn’t an easy thing. Tedious, actually. Good thing, my boss already had an idea of how he would like the logo to appear and voila! It was done.

Another task that required my creativity was the booth design for an expo this July. It was not that difficult but I had a hard time getting the exact size as well as saving the file because it was so huge. Thank heavens I was able to pull it off and hopefully it will be executed accordingly on our booth. By the way, the event will happen on July 9-10, 2009 at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia. It’s the League of Corporate Foundation’s CSR Expo.

Random Gimmicks

A month of random gimmicks. It became so easy for me now to just go out with friends and not worry that my mother would not allow me. Reality check – I am already an adult. LOL. That’s why even unplanned gimmicks became part of my life now. The first one this month was when me and my office mates went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen after a meeting then had dinner after at Italiani’s. That night didn’t end there because after that, I went straight ahead to a gimmick this time with my dorm mates. And since I was super late, they had me punished by letting me pay their Starbucks coffee and cake. But it was okay. I know it was my fault. LOL.

A second gimmick came one Sunday when my high school friends asked me out to buy some stuff. Although we didn’t buy much, it was like we did a lot. You know, being with friends and just talking without worrying about the time is really an effective stress reliever.

The Winning Attitude

It was also this month that I got to hold off a book that really touched my soul. This is the book written by John Maxwell called The Winning Attitude. With this book, I am understanding life better now. I am now seeing life positively and the feeling just reflects on my appearance and day-to-day dealings with people. I used to be so negative and always had that tendency to be depressed about just anything. Now, whenever I feel that “gloomy” feeling, I would recall the nice lessons I’ve read from the book and would utter them in my mind and I’d feel okay. I think this book has touched and is touching my life up to now. I haven’t finished reading yet due to time constraints, but this book has been very helpful.

By the way, this book was lent to me by an office mate. I really didn’t have plans of reading it but as soon as I started, that persistence to finish it came into me and I know I have to finish this.

A lesson Maxwell keeps on reiterating in several chapters was that People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” True enough, our sense of being boils down to our attitude. It doesn’t matter how intelligent we are or how good-looking we are. The more important thing is our attitude and how we see the world or how we deal with people. And I’m trying to live by that lesson now.

Various Album Releases

It’s been ages since I last posted an album review on my Friendster account since I seldom open that these days. So I thought of sharing some of albums that's been rocking my ears every morning. Haha! But this is in no particular order.

1. Aqua (Greatest Hits)

2. Melanie Fiona (The Bridges)

3. The Script (The Script)

4. Gloriana (EP)

5. Cascada (Evacuate the Dancefloor)

6. Mandy Moore (Amanda Leigh)

7. Jessica Mauboy (Because-EP)

8. Eternity (Eternity)

9. Regina Spektor (Far)

10. Marie Digby (Breathing Underwater)

11. Ashley Tisdale (Guilty Pleasure)

12. Agnes (Dance Love Pop)

13. Black Eyed Peas (The E.N.D.)

And here are some singles I'm addicted to:

1. Battlefield - Jordin Sparks

2. Back to the 80's - Aqua

3. The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script

4. Because - Jessica Mauboy

5. Zero Gravity - David Archuleta (this one's the full version released on Itunes)

6. The Show - Lenka

7. American Cowboy - Jada

8. Good Girls Like Bad Boys - Jadyn Maria ft. Flo Rida

9. No Surprise - Daughtry

There. I guess this wraps up my June. Til next month.