one-on-one

March 21, 2009

I can’t overemphasize how much I love talking! I love sharing & listening: intellectual discussions, heart-to-heart conversations, chunky chikahan, basically talking about anything under the sun. Simply put, I just want to be always in the loop when talking about the latest about my friends as much as I want my friends to know the latest about me.

Because of everyone’s busy lives, it has become more convenient to meet friends in groups rather than one-on-one meet-ups. We tend to communicate through group texting instead of personalized messaging. We tend to update friends through Facebook, Multiply or Friendster Profiles every so often rather than the conventional way. I guess these 3 portals have become the conventional way. Personally, I do not update my accounts much but I keep them so friends who highly rely on such tools for updates can keep me posted. I guess I stopped updating/visiting them for various reasons: I felt a sudden attack of feeling of nothingness compared to what my friends have gone; I thought of them as so intrusive (do you really need to post all those stuffs in there?; It’s so time consuming but for me not an efficient way at all to get to know people. 

Anyway, lately I’ve had various one-on-one talks with special people and I think I get more from my two hours worth of heart-to-heart talks with them compared than a week’s company with other people. I can’t thank these people enough: Boss Jon, more than just a coach, you are my mentor. Mommy, need I say more? I love you! Son, can’t thank you enough. I guess we should start on one-on-one meet-ups just so we can keep the updating one another pace going. Mak, although we are the inseparable tandem in the office, I’m still thankful that we find time to have heart-to-heart discussions like what we had this weekend(at the expense of my phone bill - pwede naman mag-usap in person, di pa talaga naghintay ng workweek).

To my other friends, halika, usap tayo?  

what drives you?

March 20, 2009

I have a very good relationship with my boss. Ideal if I may say. Later last night, I had a one-on-one discussion with him on my Performance Objectives. As always I was given a ridiculously long list of things-to-do. I was very pleased though with his feedback that I am doing good. He even said that he could not ask for more. You see, he’s a very brilliant guy and I put high regard on his comments. He said though that I can improve on one particular task. I said I’m not too keen about this one particular task because in the first place I don’t see the value in implementing it. I may be in the wrong mindset but it’s just how I feel. He said how he thinks there’s still more that I can do in my role but I seemed unwilling to do more.

The meeting was set for 30 minutes but whenever we have ‘these’ conversation, we tend to become so engaged that we were not aware that we’ve extended for hours. I think I’ve become very comfortable with him that I admit that there may be some things an employee should not tell in the workplace, much more towards your boss. Anyway, I ended up saying I’m not even aware what my priorities are. I shared how I had a series of reflections brought by my quarterlife rites.

He shared that in one of the speeches of our CEO, life should by a square. A balance of 4 things: Family, Career, Community and Health. Inow wonder if I said the right things when I shared how I have a different mindset. I no longer put career in my priorities. It’s not an end, but simply a means for my real priorities: Family, Socials, Me Time (health & spirit). Don’t get me wrong. I love what I’m doing but at the end of the day I’m just doing what I have to do and not because I really want to do it. At least my performance did not falter despite this contemplation and realizations (did I really realize something?). I’m driven to work but I have a stronger drive for other things that can only be sustained if I continue working. We agreed on something and I couldn’t ask for a better boss with what we had towards the end of our talk.

So now I’m still confused if I really have set the right prioroties? Am I in the right mindset on the things that drive me? I’m confused but I still  like to give credit to the banality of my quarterlife contemplations that happen quarteryly.

randomness

March 13, 2009

Ten Things I Wish I Could Say to Ten Different People Right Now:

1. Bring it on!
2. Pwede kang maging cool kahit di ka gumaganyan.
3. Why me?
4. Adik ka ba?
5. Miss you! When are you coming home? Holy week travels will never be the same without you.
6. Miss you! I miss someone surprising me. You never fail to surprise me.
7. Why do I “crush” and hate you at the same time. Wag ka na kasi mag-explain.
8. Papayat ka lang ng konti please.
9. Patangkad ka naman kasi.
10. Inom tayo!

 

Nine Facts About Myself:

1. I want to gain weight badly but no matter how much I eat, I can’t.
2. My sleeping duration should be even hours.
3. I can sleep anywhere anytime – even while standing!
4. Boredom makes me do weird things.
5. Because of college life, I started to do things fast – walk, eat, bathe.
6. I love strawberry ice cream and milkshake but I don’t like strawberries.
7. I love sinigang, tinola, nilaga or anything na may sabaw.
8. I love anything with stars.
9. Sometimes I think, I really don’t have a talent.

 

Eight Ways to Win My Heart:

1. Make me laugh.
2. Surprise me.
3. Talk to me until the wee hours in the morning – intellectual discussion ha!
4. Argue with me.
5. Watch movies/TV series with me.
6. Travel with me.
7. Be spontaneous.
8. Feed me.

 

Seven Things That Cross My Mind a Lot:

1. Ano masarap kainin?
2. When can I travel again?
3. Where do I go next?
4. What should I do next?
5. Is this what I want?
6. What’s taking him so long?
7. Verum est?

 

Six Things I Usually Do Before I Sleep:

1. Brush teeth
2. Wash and moisturize
3. Alcohol galore
4. Reminisce the day
5. Plan the next day
6. Pray

 

Five People Who Mean a Lot (aside from my family):

1. Can’t
2. Identify
3. Just
4. Five
5. People

 

Four Things You’re Wearing Right Now:

1. Black slacks
2. Polka dotted silky top
3. Black strappy sandals
4. Pashmina shawl

 

Three Songs You Listen to Often:

This week:

1. I Just Don’t Love You No More
2. Smash Into You
3. Officially Yours

 

Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die:

1. Set foot on all continents
2. Backpack in Europe

 

One confession:

Kami na ni John Lloyd. hahaha

adrenaline rush

March 11, 2009

I have been so busy this lately. Meetings even on Sundays. Cases galore! I think for the longest time, I’ve finally come to terms to commit to all the expectations of working student life. Then, I was taking MBA for sake of doing something besides work. For the sake of the much-coveted MBA diploma. Now, I think I’m really enjoying going through the cases and analyzing them, making sure I’m taking the lead and sharing my profoundest inputs. Work is crazy as well with the global crisis and all but my drive is crazier. Sometimes I’m surprised with my own adrenaline rush haywire.  Naks! Lately, I’m willing to take crackers and cereal drinks for lunch to be in front of the PC and finish things. I’m willing to have less sleep. There was one time where I was not even aware that I had just one meal throughout the whole day until I was in the cab home. I have no food home that time so I had to ask the driver to wait for me to buy food on the way. Crazy!

~~~ 

In one of my subjects we were asked to make a reaction paper about planning. I wanted to approach it not in an MBA-student’s perspective so I commented as a post-Quarter Life Crisis survivor. I’ve suddenly had retrospective thoughts of wander. Well, I’m a spontaneous person but in various aspects, I’m a natural planner. I think this was primarily the reason why I had QLC in the first place. I was planning while my friends are saying that being in your twenties is all about whims and wonder.

I always tell them to bear in mind the fable of two cats and a dog. Cat A and B were comparing notes on their plans in case an angry dog came along. Cat A had one strategy carefully thought out, while Cat B boasted of several options, all of them equally feasible. When the monster dog finally came, Cat A naturally employed his sole plan and successfully escapes from the raging dog. Cat B, on the other hand took some time pondering which option to take and died. Before, I wouldn’t have agreed with the analogy if you would ask me. What makes it different from our situation is the element of urgency. I do not believe we are at a critical crossroad demanding our instant response. Cat B was facing a life-and-death situation and needed to employ an effective plan. His multitude of options proved to be more of a liability than an asset. But then again, perhaps maturity is teaching me something else now – the sense of planning. In life, if you always consider that something is not urgent, you will not commit into action. Sometimes you have to be the one to jolt the complacency and set a level of urgency on things.

 

We set the levels of urgency of things in our lives. We are the vision makers of our queendoms. We set the rules of our playing field, as Prof Pineda would have put it. And what better way to do something when in fact you are the very person who crafted the plan.

 

Sometimes, I’m ashamed that I’m becoming too much of a planner. I even count the number of hours of sleep everyday and plan it so I’ll end up sleeping in even number of hours (a weird habit, I know!). Weird but now I don’t think being a planner is that bad anymore.

 

Overrated is overrated. Everyone is into spontaneity lately. I better be different!

 

~~~

 

I guess I’m just so fullfilled today! We were almost done in our ooooh-eeeey MIT requirements - one of the few benefits of being the first group. I was also pleased with out presentation in Control. Ang adik naming prof almost caught us off guard when he wanted someone else in our group to report. Mark was so set for it pa naman.  I ended up reporting! Scary! I thing I was cussing half the time I was in front but Prof said he was pleased. He called me beauty - his codename only his students will understand. hehe.. Life is good! Simple kilig sharing: Superhero daw ako sabi ng crush ko. *lovesick little puppy dog look

eheads: final set

We don’t always know when something is going to be the final chance. Had we known, we would have given the best. We’ve heard it said: Live as if it’s your last day. I guess that’s why I wanted to be at the Eheads concert. Good thing last year’s so-call final set was not the final. I was not there because of Cesar’s going-away party. Divine intervention siguro. hehe. I don’t normally attend concerts but the finality thing pushed me to attend. Rihanna can come back. Beyonce can come back. But another Eraserheads concert may be “Suntok sa Buwan”.

So I was there. I went with Mica and Ghia. We are of the same age so although we were not friends yet during the peak of Eheads career, in one way or another the can-relate level was the same.

Eheads songs remind me of so many things. Huling El Bimbo reminds me of my first crush. He was our neighbor and on his sister’s 18th birthday, I was one of the cotillion dancers. I was still in Elementary. I remember humming to myself during those dance practice sessions.I felt like a lovesick little puppy dog last Saturday.  hehe.. Eheads songs in general remind me of college life - UP Life. I remember we even used Toyang in our EconSoc presentation when we were still applicants. Haaay! I can’t help smiling.

So much for reminiscing the past, anyway, Ghia collapsed during the concert. hahaha. Adik kasi. 2 hours pa lang ang tulog. We had a hard time going home. We practically rode any vehicle that didn’t have passengers. We ended up getting a cab in Bicutan. Jusko! Things you’ll do when you know you’re doing something for the last time.