Pimples? No way!

Take this… You have been preparing for this big day of your life for weeks. You’ve got a pair of new shoes to put on, a nice dress, complete set of accesories, everything… And then a day right before this much awaited occasion, you woke up and discovered a tiny red bump starting to appear on the edge of your upper lip–you’ve got a pimple!

What a no-no… especially when it appears in not just any part of your face but right on top of your nose, in between your brows or the worst part where i would want my pimple to be–at the edge of either lips. It’s so irritating to have a pimple appearing in the most exposed part of your face because you can really feel that anyone you’ve come to interact with will be staring in that pinky-patsy little pimple while talking to you.

The next time you see something pinky is starting to appear on your face, get any of these weapons and before it even bothers you or the one looking at your face, that pimple will be gone.

Missing Princess for 2 Weeks

Every sunday morning, I always try to wake up earlier than usual to be able to watch ABS's Princess Hours. But for two weeks now, the network has been adjusting the schedule of regular programs due to boxing. The first week, GMA was airing Manny's fight so they had two star cinema hit movies shown instead of the regular shows. And then last week, they showed Holyfield's fight.

So I've been missing my princess show for 2 weeks now. So sad coz it's my stress reliever after a week of serious work. PH enables me to bring back my childhood fantasies. I have a dvd copy but I like the tagalized version better because the english translation of the dvd does not really capture what the korean lines originally meant.

I hope this sunday is a Sunday-as-usual for ABS…

Fencing Basics

 I can still remember our first lesson when I took up my fencing class in college: advance and retrieve.

The first step to offense is advancing while the first arm of defense would be to retrieve. If you are to be good in fencing, then you've got to master when to use which. In order to score, you will have to advance and ensure that you've got the right-of-way (this is a fencing term which refers to holding the offense status, if you are to apply the term for instance in volleyball or badminton, the team who does the serve has the right-of-way. But then again in fencing, there are ways to gain and regain the righ-of-way). On the other hand, if your opponent is the one who has the right-of-way and efforts to regain it have failed, then the best option in order to defend yourself would be to retrieve. This way, your opponent will not be able to score against you and you will have even more chances of regaining the right to score.

Now I've realized that the basics of fencing can also be applied in relationships. I always say that I know how to choose my battles and I only choose those that I can surely win. But then again, sometimes when you're too much into fighting for something that you think you cannot afford to lose, your rationality becomes a major disappointment. After 8 months of insanity, i confronted myself last night and accepted the fact that this is the point where I should retrieve.

About 8 months ago, my then boyfriend broke up with me and a month after that, he started to see this new girl. I was such a loser that i kept on hanging out with my ex in hopes that i could bring back his feelings for me… After months of trying to be as stupid as i can and pretending i am happy despite the situation, i finally accepted the fact that this is one of those battles that i shouldn't have fought with in the first place. And it's not because of the slightest possibilty of winning, but because i do not have the righ-of-way to begin with.  

Wheel of Time

I was with a friend, Sarah, last night and we were browsing through titles of the books displayed on the bookshelves of National… My eyes went through a series of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. I've read the first few books of the series when I was in college… And then there was also a good row of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings… That started a conclusion drawn between me and Sarah about these authors who seem to have a world of their own as depicted in their books.

As we were discussing last night, it seems that good authors really need to cling on to their "own world" to be able to extract their creative juices… In other words, they need to let out their autistic side at times.

These writers are indeed gifted– Not just with the talent that they have, but also because they can enjoy two different worlds in one lifetime. One that they share with all of us, and another– which they own and have full control of.

my buena mano

For my buena mano blog here at i.ph, i would like to give some be-wary-so-you-won't-be-sorry tips to those who are planning to shift jobs. (So, so out of the blue for what supposed to be an introduction but who cares? C:)

Tip number 1 - determine your reason for leaving your current job. For me there are only 2 valid reasons: pay and development. All other reasons will just fall in either of those two. Promotion opportunity might fall in both categories depending on how you look at it since promotion comes with both developmental challenges and of course, a money equivalent. If you're feeling bored or you get irritated by some of your current workmates, then that will have to fall under "development." Wanting to try new roles, new organization, new bosses, new career path– that will have to go, still, under "development."

Tip number 2 - if it is pay that made you decide to explore jobs outside of your current work, then be careful in weighing the promises made during those job offers that you've gone through. Remember to look at the total annual NET income (meaning all deductions from taxes, SSS, etc. taken), all bonuses and variable pay like OT pay–not just the monthly take home… Consider also the indirect cash benefits. Weigh them depending on the lifestyle that you have… For those who have theirs parents as dependents, health insurance might be a huge factor. For those who are travelling long distances to get to their workplace, car plan and gasoline allowance might be a deal-braker. Take into consideration the amount of money that you will have to spend if these types of benefits will not be included in your compensation and benefits package, and then deduct that from your supposed take home pay. Do this in all of your offers, including your current job, when you weigh your options.

Tip number 3 - if you want development, look first at your inner self before pointing the blame to your current employer. Please put in mind that development should first be initiated by oneself before others can influence it. No matter how many opportunities an organization can offer, if you will not open yourself to constructive criticisms, if you will not be ready to take on new challenges, if you won't recognize your need for improvement, then those opportunities will all be nothing but a popped bubble in the air.

Tip number 4 - decide your ultimate plan in life. There are people who are destined to be successful in the corporate world… there are those who are bound to be great entrepreneurs… decide where you feel you belong… what are your capabilities? what are your weaknesses?

Tip number 5 - act now or else, stay for good. If you cannot decide which company to go to other than your current work, then forget about moving out for the mean time. You might just be needing some laid back time in your current job.