Goodbye Prestige...

It all started when I decided  to look for a more stable job back in 2007. I didn't mind being offered a 'hefty'  *&#@  a month, almost 40% lower than what I had been bringing home then as a free lance teacher, so long as it was a COMPANY where I could fulfill my obligation to my country (pay tax), and enjoy government benefits like SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth, which I had practically 'evaded' for almost five years.Thanks to the two government agencies, I am now thirty thousand pesos poorer. Hahaha

To make the long story short, it all started with that firm decision. And until now, I have been reaping the fruits of my hard work. Yes, I am an example of a deserving and loyal employee who has risen from the ranks. Naks! Or maybe the company just didn't have any choice?! lol

DESERVING because I never get tired of learning and improving myself. I have found my niche, something that I have been searching for for a long time. And I can say this is my PASSION. The promotion was just a bonus, the icing on the cake. It was the things and the knowledge I have learned and shared to my students and colleagues that are more valuable. 

LOYAL because despite what happened, they still got me back and wanted to work with and for them, which I fervently accepted.

And this office has been the solemn witness. 

But today marks the end of our roller coaster teaching life here at Prestige Tower. The sight of teachers packing their valuables, ready to leave anytime is disheartening. Echos! (At least) a few people are sad because they have to tread two blocks more from the jeepney or bus stop. But on the whole, it's a new challenge and a new phase in our career. San ang challenge dun? Ah, challenge sa pag-empake. hehehe. 

 Busy-busihan kuno!

 Hala! Magbibigti na sya!

We will really miss Prestige Tower. 

tambayan ng mga smokers

This building has been my second home for more than 4 years. A lot of great memories that perhaps most of  us would carry til we get old, especially for the pillars of the company (I am talking about the oldies, T' Cherylle, T' Jojo, T' Rose, T' Mae, T' Ivy, T' Jeff, etc., including myself). LOL!

(A view from the window...not a very enticing sight, but good enough to escape from the stressful and tedious job. Did I just say that? Just kidding! The job per se doesn't wear me out. Pero minsan mga teachers na pasaway ang nagbibigay ng sakit ng ulo!  Hehe. Sometimes I think of breaking the glass window and jump! But my sane mind says that life is so beautiful to just end it that way. Ewww morbid!).

More than anything else, we will miss the convenience the area provides. If we wanna have a dose of caffeine, coffee shops that are sprouting like mushrooms are just cartwheels away. For food lovers, clean and cheap restaurants are just around the corner to fill our hungry tummies. And the most famous one is the Banchetto.

 

 it is set up every Friday from midnight onwards

Yumminess...sarap ng barbecue...especially their isaw!

But then again, we all have to move on for the better. Parang relationship lang. Ano raw? Hehehe. And we are moving to a smaller office. Ay better nga! Better for the owner...less expenses...and more and more 'LESSES'. 

Hala...good luck sa lahat! Hope everybody gets to enjoy the new office, the new environment and the new challenges ahead. 

I am simply happy

I am single but definitely not lonely. 

Despite being single, I still can afford to smile...and why not? I have every reason to be glad, gratified and content. You see, having no partner doesn't mean losing your appetite to live. Instead, it should inspire you to continue doing what your heart desires. Who knows, somewhere out there, beneath the mango tree...someone is appreciating your good deeds and beautiful heart, and eventually falls for you, at the right time. Amen? Alien!!! lol

Seriously, it's been years since my last relatively long relationship, and to be honest, looking for a new HEADACHE and PLAYMATE sometimes crosses my lewd mind...joke! hehe. But it is not something that I can't live without. Right now, I am happier than ever. 

One reason I am happy are my ever supportive friends who are always there to tickle my fancy. Hahaha. 

Cindy, Mega, Pops, Keanna, Andrea and Lady Gaga are my closest celebrity friends. I am quite aware that in this business, finding true friends is no picnic. (Parang true lang ah) lol.  And I am grateful that I have found these people. Who would believe that we hit it off right away the first time we met? It's like we had been friends before we even started to crawl.

Though nowadays, we don't get to see each other that often because some of them have gone international while others opt to avoid the limelight. But when we are together, it's literally a riot! 

Cindy is now happily whoring around Macau (joke), Pops is busy with her public/community service, Andrea (pano ba maging isang ina) has turned her back on "Bekilandia', Lady Gaga is busy with her provincial tours and out of town shows, Keanna has a tight schedule serving the gods and goddesses, and Mega is sedulously searching for a night's hook up. Hahaha. But among the fairies, I always hang out with Mega, especially now that she is one of those who add to the multifaceted social problem of unemployment. To be fair, it's her choice to be jobless. 

With the presence of these people, physically and spiritually, I don't think I will need a partner, thus no reason to feel blue. The happiness we share with each other is incomparable. We are like family.   

At napakanta ako. 

"We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing"

And here's a video of the song complete with lyrics. I really enjoy listening to The Chipmunks & The Chipettes' version of 'We are Family'.

So, to the Beks who think they are lonely because they are loveless, try to appreciate the little things that give you happiness like; your family and friends' love and care, the polluted air  (hehe), the food you eat, the social networking, etc. You will realize that THEY (men) are dispensable. 

To my dearest friends, Thanks for the friendship! 

Lesson learned

While money is indeed an important part of life, it is not always everything. There are things that money can't buy.  At least for me.

Can we buy love?...Maybe! But not genuine.

Can we buy happiness?....Sure! Shower me with the latest gadgets and I'll be happier than ever. Hit your wife or girlfriend over the head with a new mink coat, she'll be your slave for a week or two. But not geniune. 

For most of us, Bekis, especially those who prefer to have a relationship with a 'straight' guy (kuno), we believe in the saying 'the more money we have the more 'love' (or should I say LUST?) we get in return'...tama? tummooohhh! lol. 

We think that we can keep our partner by providing him all his needs. At tayo namang mga tangengot, we work our ass off, busting our buns just to make sure he is happy...he has new kicks...new jeans...a new cell phone...etc. What do we get in return? Are we genuinely happy? Do we find satisfaction in doing so? Dami naman tanong teh! Hehe. 

They say there is joy in giving...weeeeh? talaga?...Hmmmm...somehow, it's true, but come on?! It is so phantasmagorical! You are not living in this damn world for that selfish reason alone. OK, that maybe valid for others but it shouldn't be the ONLY one. My take on this...don't ruin your life by always being on the whims of others, especially the users. 

So, why all the ranting and raving? Oo nga naman! Bitter lang po. lol.

Well, this post will hopefully remind me of my shortcomings and stupidity. I can't say I am over it. And I don't know either if I still want it, but one thing I'm sure of...I will NEVER be naive and gullible again. 

It dawned on me that these people only want one thing...my beautiful body! Echos. They will ONLY send an SMS when they are in dire need of cold cash. (Good thing, lately, I haven't had lots of it). Hehe. Or anything they can get from you. And if you have nothing to spit up anymore, they just leave you like rubbish. Tsk tsk tsk...Bad kayo!

Good news is, it's never too late to change (the types of partner not the preference). Hehe

It's a difficult process, though. An uphill climb. But it is a work in progress. 

I have learned the ropes now.

Tips for Success: The Do-It-Now Habit

Questions?

Do you feel overworked and think that you have too much to do? Are your goals unreachable and think that the light at the end of the tunnel is nowhere to be seen?

Why do you think some people are more productive than others? Do you realize that you can do what others can?

For example, Cathy not only takes care of her three kids, but works 30 hours per week and runs an Avon or Sara Lee business from her home. Yet her house is always clean and she prepares delicious, healthy meals for her family.

Michelle, on the other hand, has one daughter, doesn't make money, has no time to do her housework and prefers buying food at the nearest carinderia.

Both Cathy and Michelle are undoubtedly good mothers, but why are they so different? Why is Cathy so efficient?

To be more like Cathy and less Michelle, break two bad habits and form one good habit.

Two Bad Habits (by L Ron Hubbard)

1. The first bad habit is to look at a piece of work you are supposed to do -- a task, a program, a communication, an assignment or - and put it aside to do later.

Instead of acting, you read it, digest it, think about doing it, consider the problems, sigh, and put it down to do later. Nothing is accomplished. A total waste of time.

2. The second bad habit is taking a piece of work, look at it and refer it to someone else. Even though it's your job, you try to get someone else to do it. The other person eventually sends it back to you. A total waste of your time AND the other person's time.

One Good Habit

"Do it Now."

"One of the best ways to cut your work in half is not to do it twice."

"If you do every piece of work that comes your way WHEN it comes your way and not after a while, if you always take the initiative and take action, not refer it, you never get any traffic back . . . "

"In short, the way to get rid of traffic is to do it, not to refer it; anything referred has to be read by you again, digested again, and handled again; so never refer traffic, just do it so it's done."

"So if you are truly a lover of ease, the sort of person who yawns comfortably and wears holes in heels resting them on desks, if your true ambition is one long bout of spring fever, then you'll do as I suggest and handle everything that comes your way when it comes and not later; and you'll never refer anything to anybody that you yourself can do promptly."

"Do it when you see it and do it yourself." -- L. Ron Hubbard

For example, your boss asks you to submit your report before the week ends. You spend more time to think of what to write on the blank Microsoft WORD 2007 page and realize that it is still Monday, so you close the page and browse other websites that would make your day. Now if you wait for another day to finish the report and suddenly find out that you lack the information and data needed, you will definitely cram thus sacrificing the quality of your report. In the end, your boss gets angry with you risking your job security. 

As another example, you notice your car tire is a little low and you fill it right now. If you wait, you get a flat tire while driving to work. You are not only two hours late for work, you have to buy a new tire.

More examples:

Your food explodes in the microwave? You clean it up now.

Your group needs a decision from you? You make it now.

When you jump and do things at your first opportunity, you stay in better control of your job and your life while earning hours of extra time to use however you wish.

How to Form the Do-It-Now Habit

The best time to get into a do-it-now habit is, of course, RIGHT NOW!

1. Take a stack of papers, task or any kind of cluttered mess that you need to handle.

2. Take the first item.

3. Deal with it, handle it, do it now.

". . . take the initiative and take action. . . ."

4. If you find it hard to do it now, remember the reward. If you get your work done in half the time, how will you spend the OTHER half of your time? Earning more money? Starting new projects? Having more fun? The choice is yours.

Give it a try.

Now!

Useful Office Rules

Check this out...funny!
Let the world know that you are guilty.

10. Never walk without a document -- People with documents look like hardworking employees headed to important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they're headed for the cafeteria. People with a newspaper in their hand look like they're headed for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you really do.


9. Use computers to look busy -- Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat and have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren't exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about, but they're not bad either. When you get caught by your boss -- and you will get caught -- your best defense is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training dollars.


8. Messy desk -- only top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we're not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year's work looks the same as today's work; it's volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you'll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.


7. Voice mail -- Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don't call you just because they want to give you something for nothing -- they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That's no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they're not there -- it looks like you're hardworking and conscientious even though you're being a devious weasel.


6. Look impatient and annoyed -- According to George Costanza, one should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give off the impression that you're always busy.


5. Leave the office late -- Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read. Make sure you walk past the boss' room on your way out. Send important e-mails at unearthly hours (i.e. 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc.) and during public holidays.


4. Creative sighing for effect -- Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.


3. Stacking strategy -- It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor, etc. (thick computer manuals are the best).


2. Build vocabulary -- Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember, they don't have to understand what you say, but you sure sound impressive.


1. MOST IMPORTANT -- DON'T forward this to your boss by mistake!

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