The aftermath

After several days of monsoon rains, this is how Manila looks like.  Lahat ng bahay may sarili ng swimming pool. Mandatory daw ang paglalagay ng swimming pool, sabi ni Mother Nature.  Ang hindi sumunod, ipapakagat sa ahas.  Opo, may mga ahas na nakitang nagpa-"partee! partee!" sa baha.

And so, like many times in the past, when disaster strikes, nagmamadaling lumabas ang mga inner goodness ng bawa't isa.  Everybody scrambles to organize rescue operations, collect donations and distribute relief goods. 

And like many times in the past too, nagmamadali ding lumabas ang mga personal at ulterior motives ng iba.  We have politicians who trek to every flooded street for relief operations, but who are also quietly counting the number of registered voters in the area. We have artistas, who join relief distributions in evacuation areas, who probably get a narcissic high when people queue up to hug them. 

These people I can actually forgive. It is part of what they do. Politicians have to think of their long-term goals of staying in power.  Artistas have to get exposure in order for their movies and teleseryes to sell.

What annoys me though, are the ordinary people who find this as an opportunity to show off.   People who take advantage of the goodness of other people's heart and claim it as their own.  There's a word that comes to my mind - "credit grabber". 

Para lang mukhang siya ang bida.
Siya ang mabait.
Siya ang star.  
Sana, siya na lang din ang inagos ng baha.

Like a Boss

Have you seen that thumbs up icon that says "like a boss"?

I used to think it meant that i should be enamored with the boss, then i realized it was actually referring to doing things as if you are a boss.  Although, quite frankly, I do not subscribe to either interpretations.  I am not enamored with the boss and I hope to God I do not do things like a boss. 

The thing with being a boss is that you tread a very fine line. You have to be careful with the words you say, and the things you do.  You cannot continue to be "like everyone else" where you twist words to fit your pre-conceived twisted notions; and yet, you cannot be so high up the ladder to not know when jokes are just that, jokes.

I expect a whole damn lot from people of position. 
I expect them to know when to say something and when not to.
I expect them to exercise prudence and sensitivy.
I expect them to lead with action, not threats or empty words.
I expect them to know how to do my job.
I expect them to champion the greater good.
Most of all, I expect them to own up to what they say.

One cannot be in a position of respect if one does not have the courage to stand by what one has said; nor can one be respectable if one can only say things behind closed doors, away from the ears of the person one is championing against.

It takes more than the ability to talk incessantly for hours or the ability to sprinkle sentences with jargon to be a real boss.  It takes true understanding of what being a boss should be - one who motivates people, pushes them to grow and champions them to be the best they can be.

Idyoma

Homework ni anak. Piliin ang kahulugan ng idyoma sa pangungusap.

Sagot ni anak dito:  "C. nagkahiwalay"

Her explanation: "kse nag-aaway sila, kaya magulo. tapos nagkahiwalay sila kaya tahimik na sila."  Makes sense, di ba?

And, she further explains her answer. "Dapat nga sagot ko namatay na sila kaya tahimik, kaso wala namang namatay sa choices kaya nagkahiwalay na lang"

Facebook

I am always amazed how some friends use Facebook to "oh-not-so-subtly" brag about their personal possessions - from cooking pots & pans, to lounge chairs to cars.  I just cannot quite comprehend why there are people out there who have this compulsion to let the world know they can afford to purchase these things.  I wonder what is stopping them from just filling in their own SALN and posting the whole damn thing on facebook.   

I do understand that every once in a while, we are so giddy with excitement over our new purchases and just want to share it with the world.  ONCE in a while - that is acceptable and tolerable. But, to force a deluge of posts that inevitably "kidnaps" my whole wall with photos of things you believe are so luxurious that only you can afford them, well, that is down right annoying and inconsiderate. 

I know I am just a click away from hiding you, but I guess, I also have one irritating habit. I like annoying myself much. :D

and I'm back

Gail was browsing this blog yesterday, and it made me think about how much I miss blogging.
Facebook shout-outs have inevitably taken my love for writing to a whole new level. I now can "extemporate" in what, 3-5 sentences? Tsk tsk. Facebook has given birth to a new era of "writers".

So anyway, this is my mid-year resolution. Get back to blogging. If not for me, for anak who apparently finds my posts hilarious and entertaining.

I have a few busy days ahead, but, mark my words. I intend to be back.

Laters,baby.

Busy

So the past many-a-many days, I have been very busy.

Yo-Ville-ling at facebook.

Pissed

I was online. Saw this friend go online.

Me: "Hey"

Person: "I gotta go"

Offline.

What do you make of that? Walang "hi, hello, sorry pauwi na ako". Straight forward "I gotta go". Wala man lamang courtesy to say "Bye". Bastos! To the highest level.

Sana maabutan ko ulit syang online next time para maka pag message ako ng "panget mo hayop ka!" Haha. Personalan na ito.

Disappointed

Gail was tinkering with my phone some night ago.

Gail : "Mommy, san ang video ng cellphone mo?"

Me: "Walang video yan anak".

Gail: "Ang pangit naman ng cellphone mo mommy"

Sabay binaba ang phone ko at lumabas ng kwarto.

Challenge

This one is from the heart.

While most of us have a general idea of how the US economy has spiraled down and we all hear about the massive lay offs, the ones who work with the american market are the ones who feel the direct impact of what is happening across the many thousand miles.

Sabi nga ni Richard Gomez sa long time ago McDonalds tv ad nya, "I should know. I used to work here".

I should know. I AM working here.

My career in the export industry spans over a decade. From food ingredient manufacture to home decor manufacture to sourcing, developing and buying for big american brands. This is where I am happiest - here at Connor, which is why I am full of mixed emotions.

Dread is something constant these days. Every morning you pray that this is not the day you will be called to the office. You know that no one is indispensible, but you always hope that the value you bring to the organization will be enough to keep you as one of the last fighting to survive the storm.

It is not easy. You do not want to really spend time thinking about alternative plans and lifestyle changes and whatever disruptions to your life will come you way. You fear that if you say it out loud, it will happen. The power of the spoken word. But if you do not recognize the seriousness of the situation, you do not fight, you do not give it your all.

It is scary. It must be. You must be scared enough to sincerely want to extend yourself and sacrifice. It is not a challenge that can be won by one person alone. Teamplay has never had this much of a burden. You are not just saving yourself, you need to save everybody in order to save where you are.

Miss ko mag blog

So I haven't blog for a really long time. I have answered all of those tags and lists, but have not really been squeezing out any creative juice from my gray matter that I sort of feel brain dead. Nakaka miss din pala. Kahit wala kang sasabihing may sense or will change the world, nakakamiss magsulat. Nakakamiss yung may deadline, tapos wala kang maisulat kaya you end up with silly stuff like:

I turn on the light,

Control 3 second flat

Oh how I wish

Writing was just like that.

Haha. I know I was a pain for the eds back then, but they published na rin, pang puno ng space.

So what have I been up to lately? Not that you care. Or maybe you do since you bothered to start reading this post. Or maybe you don't really? ....... Whatever.

I have been facebook-ing a lot lately. I love facebook. I love knowing what other people are up to. Never mind that I believe most people romanticize what they are up to anyway. You know--

"Had a nice quiet dinner with xxx, overlooking the sunset by the bay" Which could mean anywhere in between they really had a nice quiet dinner overlooking the sunset at the bay or nagbaon sila ng kanin, adobo at kamatis, nagdala ng puting monoblock chair sa baywalk at kumain ng dinner habang palubog na ang araw, at pareho silang bingi.

or "Going to Boracay for the weekend!" She could really be going to Boracay for the weekend, pero it could be that actually nangutang sya to fund the trip, and pagbalik nya from the "fantastic weekend at Boracay!" araw araw na overtime ang kailangan para makabayad sa loan.

I think that's what I love about the posts in facebook. Trying to figure out the stories behind the posts. And if friend mo naman talaga yung nasa facebook mo, you basically know how much stretch they are making to make it appear that they are leading lives that you ought to envy. Parang electronic way of social climbing or perhaps a hi-tech version of hallucination.

Apart from the content of the posts, I look forward to the gramatical errors. Kung dangan naman kasi bakit kailangan ang mga posts in english? "Look to cook dinner" o kaya naman " Gone to province tomorrow" Kailan daw?

And syempre, hindi mawawala ang mga pictures. "Sunset in Palawan", "Sunset in Mindoro", "Sunset across my room"... Have they never heard of "Keeping a photograph is like trying to preserve a kiss"? Facebook people, makakakita ka ng sunset until the last day you breathe. Unless na lang you die the following morning, sorry na lang, sana nakita mo ang sunrise.

At mga pictures ng pagkain in various stages of consumption - kakainin, kinakain at kinain. Mas maganda siguro kung pictures ng pagkain na kinain after ma-digest. Kumpletuhin naman ang cycle.

So, in short, wala talaga akong ginagawang may kabuluhan lately.