NEW BEGINNING

One of the greatest books I've read is the ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho. It is indeed one of my all time favorites which I never get tired of reading again and again.

I remember the famous line of the king of Salem, to whom Santiago had conversation with in the plaza, and it goes..


"...Everyone, when they are young, knows what their personal legend is, at that point in their lives, everything is possible. they are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend... It's a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your Personal Legend. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet; whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth. The soul of the World is nourished by people's happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one's Personal Legend is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it..."

Now, I am in the point of my life in which I finally have have to realize and look for my Personal Legend. It is my one of my prime purpose in this world. And at this point in time, I have come to realize that seeking my Purpose in life is what will truly make me happy.

I am like Santiago in my own story, I have to discover the hidden treasure which God has in store for me. I started my journey long time ago and will continue to persue the fate that is designed for me to track down from the very beginning of my life. In every stages of my journey, I have met many people which I truly considered a blessing for they have helped me mold my character and I'll forever be thankful to them. Nevertheless, I have to make one step further with a bag of courage with me in order to fulfill my desire. I have to keep convincing myself that it is trully possible to for me to realize my Personal Legend if I am strong enough to face the challenge. I just hope that all the universe will conspire to help me achieve it.

-wink!

Sweetest Escape

Finally, my resignation from ENC and 1on1 has been granted to me as well as my request to work part time in GNA. I couldn't describe the happiness I felt when I received a forwarded letter in my inbox last Saturday telling that the request I made from the company was finally granted by our big boss. Yepee! Finally, in three weeks time, I'll be moving out from the big aquarium where I work. But of course, I will still continue learning and teaching English as it has become my passion now.

Though, this would mean lesser bucks in my pocket, I couldn't care less! Freedom to do what I want to do is what matters most to me.

Wouldn't it be great to spend little more time at home and feel the comfort of being away from all the threads of stress I could get in a day by just sitting 8 hours in front of my computer in what I call BLUE BOX? Well, for me it's PRICELESS.

Probably, I'll be missing my friends in my ENC and 1on1. But surely, one way or another, I could still find ways to draw the our lines close

I'll just keep my fingers cross and hope that I'll get much better opportunities once I set myself free from responsibilities I'm bound to follow.

Finally, my resignation from ENC and 1on1 has been granted to me as well as my request to work part time in GNA. I couldn't describe the happiness I felt when I received a forwarded letter in my inbox last Saturday telling that the request I made from the company was finally granted by our big boss. Yeepee! Finally, in three weeks time, I'll be moving out from the big aquarium where I work. But of course, I will still continue learning and teaching English as it has become my passion now.

Though, this would mean lesser bucks in my pocket, I couldn't care less! Freedom to do what I want to do is what matters most for me.

Wouldn't it be great to spend little more time at home and feel the comfort of being away from all the threads of stress I could get in a day by just sitting 8 hours in front of my computer in what I call BLUE BOX? Well, for me it's PRICELESS.

Probably, I'll be missing my friends in my ENC and 1on1. But surely, one way or another, I could still find ways to draw the lines closer.

I'll just keep my fingers cross and hope that I'll get much better opportunities once I set myself free from responsibilities I'm bound to follow.

Kara's Back

My best friend Kara, had a short vacation here in Davao after 6 years since she moved to Manila with her family. Although we have constant communication (Thanks to technology!), it is still a different feeling to see and be with someone that I've not seen for ages. I thought at first, it would be awkward to see her, however, after a minute or so, I was able to loosen up and acted the way I used to when we were still in high school. It was totally nostalgia that I felt when we talked until the wee of hour. I miss my high school life, I miss the fun that I used to grip, and most of all I miss the happiness of being with my good friends.

For a moment I feel ataraxia, when I only thing I had in mind was pure delight of profound happiness.

Now, she's on her way to go back to Manila and I have to go back to my real world again. I hope that I can visit her soon this year and taste the sweetness of real fun.

Totally BURNT OUT

It's the first day of the month. First day of school here in the Philippines. It should be a fresh start for everyone but for me, I haven't gotten any better since the year started. It seems that my feet are stuck in my cubicle the whole five months without pulling through for worthwhile activities.
It's funny to think back when I was still a student wishing that time would run fast so that I would get the hell out of overwhelming workload in school. But now that I am already working and earning my own bucks, it makes me ponder how postgraduate life completely changed me. Now, how I wish I will wake up one day worrying nothing but the quizzes in major subjects. I never realize how I truly miss my college life until I saw my cousin preparing her things and getting ready for a new school year to start.
Before, I kept on complaining about being bombarded with lots of homework at the same time cramming for a long exam the next day. However, when I started to work, I found out that it is more stressful to work on things alone in my cubicle (which I call my blue box) with cameras watching my every move and people appraising my performance which sometimes lead me to being too edgy.
Nevertheless, when I was still in a big classroom, wearing my persian blue and white uniform, with 45 of us in the same room, I gain fulfillment for every good works that had been done. There was genuine camaraderie and true companionship that brought out the best of me. Now, I guess, money can't buy personal fulfillment. It's no longer the enthusiasm that makes me get up in my bed early morning but the responsibility that I am bound to as long as I am contracted with the company.
I still crave for more knowledge and wisdom which I think I cannot seek in the small space I have in what I often call aquarium. Perhaps I can only gain more understanding if I set myself free into a bigger world outside ENC/1on1.
I know I'll be missing my job and as well as the people whom I consider friends now -- my students and my officemates.

Thursday Party (May 14, 2009)

Yesterday (May 14, 2009- Thursday) was my day-off. The best thing I did was waking up at 9 in the morning and had a pancake and a mug of coffee as my breakfast. It was a day when I realized how I really miss the comforts of my own home.

I could really compare how busy I can get on normal working days than my day at home in my one and only day-off in a week. Normally, my life is rushie-rushie.. hehehe.. I usually wake up at 6 am, take a bath for 30 minutes, put on my clothes, brush my teeth, fix myself, and rush to work and the rest happens at 2nd floor Rex bldg. (Meno Gaia) between 7:30 am - 4:30 pm. After that, I have to meet my boyfriend because we always eat dinner together. And at 8:30 pm, I have wait for a jeepney and travel 30 minutes back home. At 9:15 or so, I have to freshen myself up. Afterwhich, I watch television from 10 pm til 11. And the cycle starts all over again.
But yesterday was different, I was lazily glued on my bed til 9 am or so, washed my face, ate my breakfast, watched television til 3 pm (I was such a couch potato), stayed in my room and texted my friends, slept from 4-5 pm, took a bath and got dressed. I loved it!

Yesterday, one of my bestfriends persuaded me to party though I really refused at first in the morning but finally made me say yes at 6 pm. So I went out, met my boyfriend in the mall and by 7:30 pm, we went straight to K-1 in Torres to meet our friends there (Milay, Jay-al, Roz, Cha and Don) . We desperately vocalized our favorite songs in karaoke for 2 hours while highly intoxicated not by alchohol but by the cost of overpriced pitcher of blue margarita. hahahaha.. Dang! I could not believe we spent more than 1000 bucks for just two hours of singing... hahaha... The only consolation we got was a piece of printed 4R photo snapped right after we paid our bill. LOL! and we never dared to have it reprinted because it would cost us another 50 pesos per copy! That was totally awesome business propaganda. hahahaha..

Right after burning a whole in our (especially Milay's) pockets, we went to Fiesta Lokal to take our dinner. There, I saw maam Ruth and ex-coworker Minnie and I chatted with them for a minute or two. Whew! Too late for a heavy dinner! I couldn't believe, for the very first time that it took more than 30 minutes before our order was served. Gosh! Our stomach was already producing too much hydrochloric acid! Hahahaha.. Good thing the food made us contented.
At past 10, we transferred to C5 and had a bucket of redhorse (no more money to buy expensive ones) and square pan pizza. After taking dose of alcohol and got laid-back, we had finally went home at around 12 midnight. And heck, the taxi driver was drunk and the car was kinda lurching in the road so Roz and I decided to get another taxi after dropping by at Cha's place. I arrived home at about 12:30 am and after changing my clothes I immediately dived into my bed.

That's why right now, I feel like I'm suffering narcolepsy. ZZZZZZZZZ.... (-_-)

downslope

This past few days I lived life rustically.

I think I am very stressful right now. There were so many stressors I had come across with this past few days. Nevertheless, I am still alive, yet physically battered with adverse effects.

Just this morning, I had taken another analgesic to relieve my headache. But now, at this very moment, I can feel the pain creeping up in my head again. I am slightly febrile, so probably paracetamol will come chasing after me. But I really hate the feel of a pill drowning down my throat. What I really want to do now is to go back home and spend the whole afternoon in the comfort of my own bed. However, there's nothing I can do but to stay in my gray and blue cubicle until the clock ticks 4:30 pm OR to pretend that I'm about to faint so they can call a taxi to take me home. I think I'll choose my first option but I'll make my choice a better one - that is I'll stay in my gray and blue cubicle, make use of it as a small sleeping compartment and wait until 4:30 pm. Not perfect but helpful though.

I can no longer wait for tomorrow to come because it's my only chance to kick back and relax. I always glorify Thursday because it's the only time in a week when I am bestowed with true serenity.

On the Edge

There will be moments when the only thing left is for you to question your existence. Life can be so damned hard for each of us. There are always days when we get so lonely and depressed. When we cry. When the world has lost its colors. When the rest of the world is happy and you are not. There will be times when we lose all reasons for living; and problems will seem so hard that we wish there was no such thing as tomorrow.

Rainy season MUST haves

The weather here in the Philippines has been so moody that I couldn't just decide what to wear in a day. Supposedly, it is summer here (almost always) from the month of March until first week of June. However, because of some global warming effects, it's been changing over the years. Because of that, we are experiencing downfall unpredictably in between summer days. That's why, last night I was pondering how to spend my one month salary to buy rainy-season-must-have items in advance.

So I was thinking what should I wear in rainy season without compromising fashion. Perhaps, this will also give you an idea. So here is my partial list:

1. UMBRELLA. Never go out without your umbrella inside your bag unless otherwise you are willing to ruin your perfect outfit that took you hours at night before you had finally decided what to wear after going back and forth in the closet just to mix and match some of your clothing items. There are so many varieties to choose from. You can choose from plains to prints to plaids to laces (but laces will surely won't work on wet days but looks very chic), etc. It depends on your style.
In my case, I prefer a plain-three-fold umbrella that I can just dump inside my bag. I guess, it is more safe to choose a plain umbrella so I can perfectly match it with whatever clothes I put on. For me, there's really no rules governing what type of umbrella you should use to match your outfit, what matter most is the purpose it offers to you on rainy days.

2. JACKETS and RAIN COATS. Grab something to keep you warm on cold days for the months of June to August. You can get cool jackets in locals stores and boutiques that will fit you best. I go for darker shades because I find it easier to match them with printed tees. On normal days, I am more comfortable and carefree to wear tees than to put on dress and blouse, much more when it drizzles outside. It looks more elegant to pair a plain basic jacket (like dark blue, gray, black, brown, red, etc) with a tee that has print on it or vise versa, that is to avoid having an ostentatious look. So you when June starts to make it's way to the calendar, start shopping for dainty jackets in the town's shopping centers to avail back to school discounts. wink!

3. WELLIES. It's been two years now since I first crave to have a pair of rain boots. My craziness about this stuff started when I first saw it in a magazine last 2007 (I'm just not so sure what month it was). Then few months after, I saw "US girls" featuring "Plueys", with there famous tag line "Celebrate the rain" in one of their episodes. That was the time I realized that there are available stylish pair of wellies in the Philippines. Unfortunately, It is only available in Manila that's why until now, I still don't own a pair which I have long been dying for. If I have a chance to visit Manila by next month, I'll surely take time to visit Pluey's store since Chooka is not yet available here in the Philippines. See, with a pair of super-duper-cute rain boots, there's nothing to worry about stepping your feet in oh-so-yucky flooded streets. If you are intested to get one, might try to choose a good pair in these websites. http://www.pluey.com/ and http://www.chookaboot.com/


4. CARDIGANS/ SWEATERS. If you don't feel like wearing hooded jackets because it doesn't look appealing with your sexy dress, you can try wearing plain knitted sweater with buttons up the front to keep your foxy looks. You can select a cardigan with frills along the edges, a V-neck striped cardigan, a bolero type or those with puffed sleeves and much much more depending on your preference to create a well put-together look. However, if buying one won't fit into your budget because you're tightening your belt thesedays, you can start learning to knit and create your own design as much as you want. If you prefectly do so, take a snap shot of it and leave a message and I'll surely love to take a look at it. (promise!)

5. SHORTS. You may think it's too cold outside when it's raining cats and dogs. Perhaps, to some degrees it is but not freezing cold (It's tropical here in the Philippines) . However, If you don't have a pair of stylish rain boots to spare the edges of your trousers from getting wet, I guess, it's better to get yourself up with shorty shorts that would surely complement your whole attire when properly donned.



So I'm saving every cent for rainy days...

Wink!

She's very adorable, isn't she?

Me and my ENC friends

Well, I just want to share my learning and experiences as an ESL teacher.

When I was still a nursing student in SPC, I was really an eager beaver to become a great nurse someday. My interest was really set on paving my way to becoming a great nurse someday. However, right after taking the examination last December 2007, I got so damn bored at home waiting for the result that took a hundred years before it was released. Since, I am the kind of a person who can't stay at home for too long (utmost 1 week), I tried so many ways how to remedy an insanely tedious days at home. When my friends asked me to join them to go job-hunting, I never hesitated. We went around Davao City to look for some interesting and good job to spend our spare time while waiting for the result of the exam. I never wanted to work as a call center agent but ironically, I submitted all my resumes to different call center companies here in Davao City. hahaha.. Good thing, I didn't have hard time passing all the interviews.The time when I had to decide where to work, I had difficulty convincing myself whether or not accept the jobs and start working as a night owl in a cold barren cubicle. I said to myself "Why not!?". Until one good afternoon, when I was about to submit my resume in Link2support (now Concentrix), a friend of mine from HR department told me not to pursue a career in any call centers. He referred me to work in ENC instead as an online English teacher. It sounded cool to me though I had some friends whose friends used to work in ENC said nothing but negative comments.
I just said I would try since it's also a privilege for me to hone my English skills to make me someday proficient in using the language when I'll be working abroad (ambisyosa!) hahaha . So I did take the exam and passed it as well as the interview. I must admit that the first few days of training in ENC were tough, the job is OK but some factors were not. I guess, nothing could beat the hardship that I had when I was still a nursing student. However, I never regret working in ENC for almost 15 months now because my circle of friends grew bigger. Actually it's my very first job but I'm planning to quit soon and pursue my true calling.. that is NURSING.




from Left to right : Joy, ME, Jea

Joy, Jea, Darl, ME

This picture was taken after our lunch break. It was scorching hot outside yet we still had guts to have our haggard-looking face be snapped. hahaha.. Sowee guys...

From left to right: NICE, Claire, and ME..

Coffee...Books... and ME

The time I had decided to create my own blog here in blogspot, I was quite irresolute and indecisive about the title. I don't want to sound flimsy and irrelevant. Then, after a minute or two, I had my mind made-up and finally thought that my title should be something that is substantially relevant to my personality.

I'm a real coffee-holic (if there's such word) and a book worm when in a deep state of boredom. I find myself weird because unlike other people, coffee has a sedative effect on me though there were also times that it causes some jitters on me. I habitually take one coffee-heaped-teaspoon in a mug of hot water everynight so I can have a good night sleep and wake up the next day still feeling the effects it had on me the night before.

I am a real book and mag fan. I always find it interesting to be knowlegeable about some facts that other people might not know. I am not a geek-type and I am also sure that I am not eccentric person. hahahah... In fact, I am fun-loving and I enjoy party so much with my friends. Nevertheless, I am also a kind of a person who does care a lot about feeding my mind with interesting details. Thus, NOBODY can hail me as an empty-headed-party-girl. As a matter of fact, you can try to talk to me if you think you share the same wave-length with me. wink! CIAO