Wednesday Post Part 3 - Worrying about Worries

Since last week, reading The Manila Times has become a part of my everyday tasks. Yesh! I'm reading the newspaper! Very different me. But I am starting to enjoy it, especially when I see articles that make me smile.


This morning, I got to read Bob Garon's article on "worrying". I am too worried about so many things these days, so reading it somehow gave me some light.


He said we worry too much that we just choose not to worry about those worries anymore. We seldom get satisfied. And then we become so paranoid on what will happen the next day.

The result? Each day of our life revolves around those worries. We get stressed. We don't get to enjoy our blessings, because our minds are preoccupied with all the problems one could ever imagine to have.

---That was me for about two weeks. I was always thinking not only of my own problems, but of the problems of my family, friends, officemates, etc. Most of the times I get confused with who or what or where or when. I forgot that I am not in control of everything.

How to deal with this wrong attitude? Garon quoted a short advice from Leslie Tizard's Facing Life and Death:

" . . . to live a day at a time means to accept the happiness which each day brings without spoiling it by deploring that I may not be able to enjoy the pleasures which I supposed the years had in store for me. .."

I think this is a better version of the quote, "Do you your best and God will do the rest." And she's right. The best thing that I could do to make myself happy is to live each day of my life to the fullest and stop living only for the sake of 'tomorrow', because there's God who has His plans for me.

Hmmmm... Ok. I get it.

In God's will, everything will be in the right place.

Wednesday Post Part 2 - R.I.P. Krisel the Cat

Goodbye, Krisel . . .



This is just the first time I called this cat with his real name(yup he's a he). We usually call him "Garfield," because he was fat and the color of his fur is the same as Garfield's. We also had this name for him, "Pusang may Tililing," because one time, his owner gave him a collar with bells--so every time he ran, we would hear the sound of the bells.

Krisel was a very sweet cat. I never saw him hurt anybody who tried to play with him. He liked it every time we cuddle his neck, or when we let him sleep on our lap or feet. He would roll over the floor when he enjoyed our tickles.

But there's one thing that is so unique in Krisel---he doesn't meow. For several times we saw him open his mouth and try to stretch his vocal chord, but no meow sound comes out. I don't know if he's deaf or mute, or both, or has a damaged throat.

There were also times when we saw him sleep like a human---his head moving, his legs open wide, his mouth---with saliva.Eeew. Hehehe.

Last week, we were still playing with him though we knew he had cough and cold. The next week, he left 'wastes' in our garage every morning. Until Tuesday morning, before I went to the office, I saw him looking so weak and wet. I approached him but he didn't mind me. He lied beside our washing machine. He was catching his breath. That was the last time that I saw him.

Wednesday evening, the first thing that my sister Paui told me was. . ."Ate patay na yung pusang may tililing..." That morning, they found the dead Krisel inside our neighbor's storage cabinet.

Thanks, Krisel, for cheering us up when we're stressed. You're a small but great blessing from God.

Wednesday Post Part 1 - On Preoccupations and Word of God

I attended the Wednesday mass at Greenbelt Chapel this noon. This is my second Wednesday mass for July. Hhmmm... Mukhang tama nga si Father, God allows hardships to come along our lives, to somehow make us turn to Him. It's a good thing that I now have enough time to drop by the church. My load becomes lighter and lighter every time I reflect on the readings and on the priest's homilies.

The Gospel reading for today is almost the same as the Gospel in our chapel two Sundays ago--about the seeds thrown on different grounds.

Both homilies talked about how we take His Word---some of us just pass by and don't mind it; some listen to it but then forget it after a minute; some take it and understand it but don't live by it; and few receive it, understand and treasure it, live according to it, and share it with others.

Here's what I remember from Father _____'s sermon:

Our receptivity affects our fruitfulness, and
our receptivity is affected by our pre-occupations.

Preoccupations may be persons, things, happenings/events, etc. They are not bad. They are blessings, but some are cause of distraction, OR destruction.

Sometimes, because we get too preoccupied, we forget about God, and worse, we turn away from Him.

And when we are already turned away by our preoccupations, where is He now in our life?

My Reflection

I admit that right now, I don't allot much time to think about my relationship with Him, or about TOTALLY living by His word. Yes I have many "pre-occupations" right now. And I thought, hmmmm...are they turning me away from God? There are times when I am tempted, but thank God I'm still here. I know I can't have an overhaul in just one day. I want to turn my mistakes and weaknesses to goodness simultaneously with the happenings in my life. How? Secret. Hehehe.

All I know is I'm thankful that God gives me chances like this. I believe that He is just there right beside me, waiting for me to bring out my best, for Him, and for the people that I am assigned to take care of.

Late Post

It's really hard if you're naturally "madaldal". You couldn't finish one post in one sitting. Hehehe.

A Duo Dance Classs, a Gig, and a DV Trip

Top Ten Reasons Why People Leave Their Jobs

Got this from an officemate. Which of these apply to you? (smiles)

There are many reasons why good employees quit, most are preventable. I've identified a "Top Ten" list of reasons why people leave jobs:

1. Management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people, resulting in longer days and weekend work.

2. Management cuts back on administrative help, forcing professional workers to use their time copying, stapling, collating, filing and other clerical duties.

3. Management puts a freeze on raises and promotions, when an employee can easily find a job earning 20-30 percent more somewhere else.

4. Management doesn't allow the rank and file to make decisions or allow them pride of ownership. A visitor to my website e-mailed me a message that said, "Forget about the "professional" decisions - how about when you can't even select the company's holiday card without the President rejecting it for one of his own taste?"

5. Management constantly reorganizes, shuffles people around, and changes direction constantly.

6. Management doesn't have or take the time to clarify goals and decisions. Therefore, it rejects work after it was completed, damaging the morale and esteem of those who prepared it.

7. Management shows favoritism and gives some workers better offices, trips to conferences, etc.

8. Management relocates the offices to another location, forcing employees to quit or double their commute.

9. Management promotes someone who lacks training and/or necessary experience to supervisor, alienating staff and driving away good employees.

10. Management creates a rigid structure and then allows departments to compete against each other while at the same time preaching teamwork and cooperation.

Interesting, isn't it, that all ten factors begin with the phrase "Management…."

Interesting, too, just how many of these high-turnover factors are preventable? My retention survey confirmed the truth of the saying,"Employees don't quit their companies, they quit their bosses." Thirty five percent of the respondents answered yes to the question, Was theattitude of your direct supervisor/manager the primary factor in your quitting a previous job?

Soft management skills-people skills - are the critical element in battling high turnover and creating a high-retention workforce or what
I call, "retentionship."

By Gregory P. Smith

Out of the Blue Letter

More and more thoughts...

Use the time you have on Earth to make up for your mistakes. Let go of the things that put you down or keep you frustrated. Once or twice is enough. Learn from your mistakes.

Perfection is too far from reality. So don't be frustrated when problems arise or when you are hurt. Dreaming for a perfect happening, person, or anything is almost the same as being infatuated. And we know that infatuation is not true love. It's just loving the idea of being in love.

True love is not thinking about what would give you overwhelming pleasure. True love is about being happy when you make the person dear to you happy---happy in good ways.

Enjoy the things that you have now. Thank God for these blessings, and at the same time take care of them. "Nothing lasts forever"--we hear this statement every now and then. But living by this means treasuring those that you have now, not taking them for granted only because of your selfish desires.

Writing Rules

I should have read this before I became a magazine editor. Hehehe.

Umaapaw na Araw

Unang Eksena:
- Unang ginawa ko pagdating ko sa opisina: tinignan ko ang blog ko at nakita kong may nag-comment sa post ko tungkol kay Dr. Efren Abueg. Ini-link daw niya ako sa kanyang blog--Mga Nobelang Atisan. Nalaman ko na lamang na naikwento niya ang karanasan ko sa post niya! Nakakatuwa. At isa rin syang tanyag na alagad ng panitikang Filipino. Ako'y lubos na natutuwa, napa-Tagalog tuloy ako.

Ikalawang Eksena:
- Seryoso akong nakatutok sa aking kompyuter nang maramdaman kong umalog ang aking lamesa nang ilang beses, malakas, at pati ang pader sumunod din sa galaw. Bigla na lamang sumigaw ang boss ko ng, "Lumilindol!" Napatahimik ang lahat at inantay ang susunod na mangyayari. Ngunit hanggang duon na lamang ang pagyugyog. Medyo nahilo ako dahil tila naiwan ang ulo ko.

Ikatlong Eksena:
- May nag-imbita sa akin para sa isang maikling usapan noong tanghalian. Akala ko'y isa lamang itong pagbabahagi tungkol sa buhay buhay. Ngunit ito pala'y tungkol sa ugnayan ko sa Maykapal. Wala akong masabi.

Ikaapat na Eksena:
- Meron pa nga ba? Ang alam ko lang, napagod ang utak ko sa araw na ito at gusto kong matulog. Hehehe.

Meeting a Novelist

This afternoon, an old man broke the silence in our office. He sat about three meters away from me. He sounded excited as he said, "Oh, lagay mo dyan, ....Street, Philam Village, Las Pinas. Sa may Starmall." He caught my attention since that address is near our home. "Who is that?" I asked Marie, my officemate. "Dr. Abueg," she softly answered.

Dr. Abueg. . . Hmmm. that name sounds familiar. He's a Filipino writer. And I saw his name in some of our textbooks. But I couldn't remember what exactly the title of his writings are. Basta. I feel it. He's one of Philippines' greatest.

The next thing I knew, I had turned away my head from the computer screen and listened to his stories. He was talking to our manager. Then, Ms. Rose saw me looking at them. So she introduced me to Dr. Abueg. She said I might call him one day and talk about work and everything. We even shook hands! Hehehe. I didn't say any word---I just gave him my super smile. Starstruck!

Dr. Abueg continued his stories, talked about how he tries to learn about blogging and other new stuffs, so he could incorporate these things in his works. He also told us that he thinks he's too old for adventures, because the last time he insisted not to take the driver with him in a workshop, he had cough for five days! And after that, his wife also got sick--"Hindi na tuloy beautiful.Pero pag tumaba ulit yun, beautiful ulit. Siyempre hindi ko papakasalan yun kung hindi yun beautiful!" He also admitted that half of his life--he spent with work. And he hates it when his wife leads their arguments to that conclusion. He talked about many things---how his group works to inspire young talents to continue their love for writing, how he thinks that this young, arrogant writer would be like if he continues to reject the seniors' criticisms, etc.

He was able to tell all those stories in less than an hour! After Ana, the brand specialist, told him about the invitation to judge one of our magazine's poetry and short story writing competition, he stood up and said bye-bye.

I was just so overwhelmed that such a great man came by and shook hand with me. Now I plan to look for his writings in my old Filipino books, and be inspired to love Philippine literature more.

Reaching the Finish Line

One of my last articles for Tatsulok. . .

Have you ever joined any game—either a sport or a party game or even just an assigned task, where in you have to get to the finish line? How does it feel to touch the line that represents the end of the race? How good is the feeling when you finish first? Did you see others happy for you?

Life is just like any other race. We have to run and fight until the end of the track, not just once but in several numbers of laps. We cannot just stop at the middle for any lousy excuse. If we give up that easy, we would not accomplish anything. We would not be able to achieve our goals. Worse, we might pull the other racers and make them give up too.

It’s not also enough to just run like we’re the only one taking the circuit. There are other racers who are aiming for the same goal. If we act slowly without determination, we might reach the finish line but everybody has gone home already. The race is already over.

Lastly, achieving your goal, even with your best effort and attitude, will be nothing if we would spend the feeling alone. We have friends and loved ones who are there to support us—and who will always be there to take the track with us.

Lumang Tula

I don't know if I would feel proud or embarrassed when I saw this short poem in my files. I just want to laugh at myself using this very straight-to-the-point mushy Tagalog words. Hehehe.

I couldn't remember what exactly made me write this, all I know is that it's about Yui, the Lonely Boracay guy whom I miss.

Kalian kaya kita muling makikita?
Babalik ka ba pa, aking sinta?
Lubos na ang aking pangungulila,
Kaytagal na nang huling mayakap ka.

Dinala mo ang mga pangarap ko,
Pinangako mong hindi ako mabibigo.
Ngunit hanggang kalian tayo ganito,
Bundok at dagat ang sa ati’y naglalayo?

Baunin mo ang aking pag-ibig,
Alam Niya ang tunay kong damdamin.
Hihintayin ko ang muli mong pag-uwi,
Sasalubungin kita ng matamis kong ngiti.