Anniversary

From scratch we started,
On paper we declared our love.
From wood we made a sculpture,
With tin we wrapped it up.

Now we have a steel chain,
To bind our crystal love.
I will dive and get the pearl,
Search the earth for jade, ruby, and sapphire.

I will go for the gold, cut the the emerald with diamonds
And climb the old oak tree.

Me, Myself, and I

I'm a thinker and a dreamer.
Curious but not so adventurous.
Most people would tend to look at me as a snobby,
But what they really don’t know is I am very friendly.

I can get along with any type of person,
And can endure a senseless conversation.
But what I like most are people who can understand my emotions,
At times when situations are not aligned with my intentions.

I love cooking,
But I hate ironing.
I have two beautiful daughters, a lovely wife,
And a cheerful life.

My motto in life is:

Stay happy, healthy, enjoy each day, and always thank the Lord for the blessings He has given thee…

Changes

I've worked with several companies in the past before I got hired here at my present job. I went to abroad (Dubai, UAE) once and tried my luck there. I had a pretty good job there working for Pepsi Cola Dubai and enjoyed my almost a year stay but I was forced to come back home to our beloved country when my younger brother died.

At that time, coming back home wasn't easy and I was not that happy and excited like many other balikbayans do. I was facing a great dilemma. First, I need to come home to attend my brother's funeral and at least to see him for the last time before he lays in his final resting place. Second, I lost a great opportunity abroad when I came back here in the Philippines and I have to face new challenges and start a life again. I need a job to sustain my family's need. By the way, you may ask the question why I did not went back to abroad. Well, it's a long story and maybe I can write that some other time. After my brother's internment, I let pass the Christmas season of 2004 before I started looking for a new job.

Since our place is near the Clark Special Economic Zone (formerly US Clark Air Base), and good jobs are being offered here, I started submitting my resumes to most popular companies including two call centers in January of 2005. I also tried applying to some companies in Manila and two at least called me back for an interview but I declined for some reasons.

Anyway to make the long story short, one of the companies I have applied to here in Clark called for an initial interview a week after I submitted my resume. My reaction then was, wow that was a fast response coz normally it would take you to wait for at least 2 weeks or more before you even get the chance for an initial interview. Good thing they were hiring that time. I am more than willing to start as an entry level employee even though I have worked with several companies in the past and even held a supervisory position in one of those. After a series of interviews, exams and completion of pre-employment requirements, I finally got hired as a Student Consultant (entry level position). I can't describe my happiness at that time considering that it was only over month since I came back from abroad, and there I was getting a new job from one of the most respectable and highly regarded company here in Clark. I started as a minimum wage earner but I was thankful to have a job at that time. Besides, the benefits and compensation they're offering is good enough. It comes with a health and life insurance, monthly rice subsidy, free meal and transportation, gift checks, bottomless coffee and hot chocolate (lols) and more.

So what else can I asks for? I was simply looking for any job but a great opportunity came to me - a blessing indeed. On top of these things, I was able to regain the self-confidence I lost because of depressions from "series of unfortunate events" that happened in my life. This company gave me new hope and a better outlook in life. I was like an orphan who found a new parent. I saw a big opportunity to grow professionally as well as emotionally while working in a safe and people-oriented environment. I've worked hard to achieve my targets and as a result, I got several promotions, awards and recognitions. It's fun working here too. In fact, I've learned to love this company and I am proud to be a part of it.

But sad to say, things are changing now. After we've been sold to another company, I'm not sure if I'm still proud of what I am. It seems that I've lost my identity. I no longer hold the same dignity I have before. Well of course, I'm keeping my doors open to changes. As the saying goes, "The only constant thing in life is change." So we always have to keep ourselves ready for changes. This is yet another challenge to be faced in life.

Separation Anxiety

It was last night around 12 am when we received the communication from our call center director regarding the “All-Hands Meeting,” where all employees are invited and the site will be closed for at least 3 hours. According to the communication, we will be receiving very important company information during the meeting.

Shutting down site operations seldom happens. It happened two years ago when our site celebrated its 7th anniversary. I could not recall any other instance from that time until this one. So I told myself, I guess this is it. Remember about the “rumors” I wrote in Distrait? Perhaps, this is the day everyone is anticipating, or should I say have been expecting ever since the rumors broke out.

So today, me and my wife Lorie May, who also works in this company as a billing consultant, left home past 3 pm to join the meeting at a convention center here in Clark. Along the way, I felt mixed emotions. It’s a mix feeling of excitement and anxiety. A lot of questions were also tripping my mind. I guess, almost everyone is feeling the same as I am. As we arrive at the venue, we went straight to the convention hall after the registration. I saw some of my former teammates in the morning shift and joined them. We enjoyed a few chitchats before the meeting started.

Our attention was called when our call center director started greeting everyone. At first, it looks like we’re launching a new product where everyone is excited to see. But there was a moment of silence when they finally revealed the acquisition of our company by another leading BPO provider. Well, it’s a no surprise. Everybody is expecting this news. After almost a year of speculations, the moment of truth finally came. There were several presenters and the meeting went fine. We got the chance to see a welcome video from the CEO of the new company. We were assured that all employees are guaranteed with continuous employment and tenure, same salary and benefits we are currently enjoying as part of the acquisition deal. The quiescent crowd suddenly went lively when one presenter showed some of the perks that the company is offering to employees.

But despite of all the nice things we’ve heard, I can still feel disappointments and emotional distress from my colleagues. Most of us here have invested a certain degree of emotional attachment with this company. So you can’t blame anyone to feel the separation anxiety. Though we’re still going to work with same people, same team and same schedule we have right now, but for sure changes will come sooner or maybe right after the transition. It’s business as usual.

But I’m very thankful that we still have our job. Who knows, a better opportunity maybe waiting for us with this new management?

I just hope for the best.

An Angel from Birth

It was around 10 am this morning when I received my wife's text message about the death of Seantel, a friend's daughter. I was shocked with the news and paused for while after reading the message and can't help but weep.

The last time I heard about her before this news came was they rushed her to the hospital because her heart suddenly went enlarged. At first, I have no idea what exactly has caused her condition. I've heard her relatives saying about heart problems so I thought it was a kind of in-born heart disease. Most of all, I didn't even expect that her condition was that serious and could even lead to this very unfortunate incident. She died of a rheumatic heart disease.

Tracing the medical history of this illness, it all started with a strep throat, a kind of sore throat caused by Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. It went untreated resulting to a rheumatic heart disease. Rheumatic heart disease is a condition in which the heart valves are damaged by rheumatic fever.

Sheantel’s death could partly be blamed to her mother, Teya, who is a good friend of ours. She cares less for her daughter and most often, she would ignore advises from families and friends about her daughter's health condition. The other part of the story could perhaps be blamed to poverty. As single mother who solely raises her child and does not have a permanent source of income, maybe she doesn't have the money to spend for her daughter's medications. But still, this isn't enough reason to give up. We may sometimes feel that we are stretched out to the limit of our capacity but if you really care for someone you love, you can find ways to save their lives. There are a lot of means like community health centers or public hospitals that can offer immediate medical assistance or even free medicines. Or, she could have asked assistance from friends and relatives who are willing to spare a few bucks before the situation became worse.

The end of the story is a lost of a beloved one. It's a sad thing in life that we realize the importance of a thing when it's too late to matter. Up until this writing, I still could not believe that Sheantel has passed away.

Rheumatic heart disease can be prevented by treating the root cause, which is the strep throat, through antibiotics. This will help prevent the rheumatic fever from occurring. Though the disease is not so common nowadays due to the widespread of antibiotics, but the fatality is very serious.

Seantel was so young to die. Another sad part of her life was that she died without knowing her father. I think she didn't even get the chance to see a picture or an image of what her father looks like. According to Teya’s story, Seantel’s father has not showed up from the time she learned that she’s pregnant with her. She is a less fortunate child, who was born with a less fortunate life, but I'm sure; she's an angel from birth. This is perhaps the reason why God took her away that early. I sobbed for her death but I feel happy too realizing that she is now with our Creator, and has rest in peace.

I saw my daughter Fiona cried too upon hearing the sad news about her playmate. I know my daughter is still young to understand everything that's happening around her but I'm sure she can already feel the grief of losing someone who has been a part of her life.

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When my younger brother died two years and nine months ago due to a vehicular accident, it was a big turning point in my life. I came to realized that twenty three years has passed but the time I spent with my brother wasn't enough to show that I love him so much. In front of his lifeless body, I cried so many tears realizing that I should have done more good things to him when he can still hear the words I am saying, see the things that I am doing, or feel the love I have for him.

But for whatever reason a person dies, it always boils down to one thing- life is short. We'll never know when God will take our lives. It's a lesson we need to learn and a fact we need to be aware of.

Our time is often occupied by our job, our friends, or our personal stuffs. Love ones or our families are sometimes set aside and put to a less priority line. I was guilty of this. I admit it. So I started assessing my priorities and realigned them to what I think can best benefit my family and me as well.

Now, I've learned to appreciate my wife limiting me from going out and hanging with friends at night. I can now value the time I spend staying home cuddling my kids and watching TV with them, or engaging in small talks while in bed with my wife about things we need to settle on or sometimes topics that are even non-sense. But it becomes meaningful because time spent with love ones cannot be bought by money and is more precious than anything else in this world.

n0 Pain, n0 Gain

It's been awhile since the last time I hit the court smashing a shuttlecock.

Last Saturday - Sept 01, I played badminton with some co-workers at Hardicourt in Pandan. Surprisingly, I was able to play 6 straight sets though I was feeling the weight I gained for the past few months. I played hard and I was bending, jumping, and going after the shuttle cock. It was good. I felt some kind of instant relief after burning those excess calories inside my body.

When I came home after the play, I took a bath and rest. As expected, my muscles started feeling achy all over my body after a few hours of resting. The type of soreness you feel when you try a new kind of body exercise or perhaps going back to familiar sports after having stopped for a long time. It makes you flinch even the slightest movement you do.

Two months ago, my wife Lorie May enrolled to a gym. She started working out a few days after and experienced the same body pain as I had. But I think the pain she had is more intense than mine. She never lifted weights and never went to gym before.

But it pays the effort. Now, she’s sexier after 2 months of continuous work-out and losing those excess belly fats she gained after delivering our second child, Sophia. I was so happy to see her looking prettier wearing those sexy jeans and pants that were long kept inside our cabinet.

I really admire my wife for her discipline and the extra effort she’s doing just to stay fit and healthy. She goes to gym almost everyday spending at least 2 hours working out and does not eat rice or heavy meal after 6pm. After her work-out, she would take Skyflakes crakers and that’s all. That’s why we need to have Skyflakes crakers all time in the house.

Well, as the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” But of course, staying fit and healthy does not have to be painful always. Once your body adapt to the activity, the pain goes away.

Bottom line, if you want to stay fit and healthy, you really need to exert some effort and discipline and even up to the extent of undergoing some kind of body pain - at least, some tolerable pains.

Distrait

I thought I'm going to hear some bad news from the company as I come to work this day. We've been hearing rumors that our company sold our call center to another international company that provides inbound/outbound services including sales, support, and marketing.

Last week, I got the chance to talk to one of our company drivers. He told me that HR talked to some support group staffs, including company drivers, if they would be willing to be trained as consultants (agents). Three among the 4 drivers, a finance department staff, a training department staff, and some administrative assistants “volunteered” for the training, according to him. I’m not sure if they really volunteered for the said training but I’m so certain that there is something going on there. The first thing that instantly came to my mind was that, HR will not do this for no apparent reason. My focus was distrait at that very moment. For the past few weeks that I’ve been hearing the rumors and ignoring it, but now the tale is getting clearer to me.

Today is Wednesday, August 29 - the day everyone is most likely anticipating because according to the speculations, this is the day that the company will announce the said news. However as I badge in, I went straight to the production floor and notice everything seems normal. I started looking at people’s faces and they don’t seem to look sad or disappointed at anything. I met a friend inside the CR and softly asked him, did they announce it? How are we doing? He gently smiled back to me and said, I haven’t heard anything the whole day. So I assumed maybe no announcement was made yet, or it’s not true. Or, perhaps they are going to announce it some other day. Whatever it is, I don’t know when that day will come, but for now life goes on. Anyway, it’s not going to be the end of everything. Who knows, God might have better plans for our life or for our job.

I hate feeling worried about things I can’t control. I normally leave these things to God. But let's face it! As human beings, we can’t help but feel anxious about things we are most concern of – one of them is our job. Job gives us financial security. Everybody needs it because we need money to raise our family. But in the end, I realize that everything I need will be supplied by no other than our Almighty Father. He is our great source of abundance. Therefore, no more worries…