Rochkirstin | com

Author: Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco

  • Legen—Wait For It

    Every time I’m asked what my dream is, I’m not the kind of person who says “When i grow up, I want to be _____.” Instead, I say what I know I want to do: to provide the best life I can for my family. And what am I most thankful for? Life. And my capacity to love.

    These I consider my treasures, the drive for me to reach my aspirations. Just yesterday, I have again climbed one step up, a huge one. Only seven of my Facebook friends know about this. Let the hidden message remain unrevealed for now.

    Keep reading. Maybe you’ll find a clue.

    I remember one quote from Grey’s Anatomy:

    “A wise man once said – ‘You can have anything in life if you’re willing to sacrifice everything else for it.’ What he meant is nothing comes without a price. So before you go into battle, you better decide how much you’re willing to lose. Too often going after what feels good means letting go of what you know is right. And letting someone in means abandoning the walls you’ve spent a lifetime building. Of course the toughest sacrifices are the ones we don’t see coming. When we don’t have time to come up with a strategy to pick sides….or to measure the potential loss. When that happens, when the battle chooses us, and not the other way around, that’s when the sacrifice can turn out to be more than we can bear.”

    Oh, sacrifices. It gets harder if you’re like me who likes everything in order. Yes, I have planned to take that leap. I have calculated every step and measured every move I have to take to chart out the whole progress in on the biggest “white board” I found.

    Yet, I forgot to make allowances for goodbyes. I didn’t realize how hard it is to swallow the fact that THIS could be the last time I’d share a meal with this person for a long while. Or that I can’t call my best friends to grab a drink at our favorite spot. Or that I can’t ask if a friend is free to watch a movie this weekend. Or that I can’t sneak up on my sister, play a trick on her and then run away laughing. Or that my mom won’t be asking me to wash dishes, fold clothes, put things back into place or do the rest of the household chores. Or that my dad isn’t around to ask if I want to see the latest Chinese action movie or a documentation of some ancient historic wonders.

    Am I changing my mind about going? No. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time and I need to prove to myself that I can make it—that this is my shot at a much better life and I’m not about to let it slip away.

    I hate saying goodbye but hopefully, I’ll be earning enough to be saying hello again.

    P.S. Stay tuned for my biggest announcement early next week. It’s really going to be, as Barney Stinson of How I Met Your Mother says, legen—

  • Between Exit and Entrance

    Every Friday in our team meeting, we discuss metrics, support needed, issues and other updates happening in the operations and global teams who are part of our systems. Tonight after our round-table conference, our lead presented a deck of strategic goals for the team to accomplish for the year. In the end, he asked if there were any questions we want to raise.

    I wanted to ask something, but it was irrelevant to the topic, so I just held my silence. In truth, I wanted to know if we already have someone who’s going to replace my post. Oh well, I guess they’ll be saying it anyway when the new person comes.

    What concerns me is that I still have to transition my work to this new person, and with time running out now, I feel pressured for my managers and team mates. What if I don’t get to finish passing over my responsibilities?

    Yesterday was the year’s first Friday, the second to the last Friday that I’m still with IBM.

    There’s quite a handful of people now in the office who know about my exit. I appreciate them giving me support and wishing me good luck for my new beginning. I acknowledge their words saying they’re going to miss me for sure and that me leaving is a big loss for the company. I’ll be missing them as well, and I just hope that my replacement will be a better contributor than I and an adaptable member who’d grasp and take in our busy clockwork routines fast.

    And yesterday morning, I’ve had my first interview again after attending to several last year. Big difference I’ve seen for myself since the latter half of past year to date was that I don’t feel any tinge of nervousness–that invisible barrier which pushes against my chest every time I get interviewed—anymore.

    I guess IBM really made that change for me, or we are indeed just interesting-enough creatures who are made stronger by our very own WEAKNESSES. It’s hard, even painful, but we come through it with grace and strength. Also, now with my clean perspective, I can manage to boost my self-esteem more to give myself the confidence I need to strut around like I’m the most highly eligible one on the face of the planet for the given spot.

    At the end, the HR personnel gave me few details about my role and position there and told me to wait for their call next week for the second interview. I’m qualified for this one; I’m gonna make it, I pray.

    Let’s clink our chilled glasses to my favorite season of hope. I have a cocktail of excitement and honor in my hand. Yours is a concoction of prayers for my success.

    Cheers! Next task: job hunting.

  • Beggar with a Magic Voice: Ted Williams

    Beggar with a Magic Voice: Ted Williams

    Upon coming home, I always ask Mom how her day went and I tell her about mine. Tonight, the “glib talk” wasn’t played. She was so busy talking to my uncle over the phone about Ted Williams that I only received a hand sign from her that was like signaling “Later.”

    Wait! Ted…who? Without a clue, I asked Mom to give me a summary instead of watching it on YouTube because I didn’t want to face the computer screen anymore tonight since my eyes were on it the whole day. She said she couldn’t tell me the story because it’s so overwhelming and poignant to be broken down to words.

    I was left with no choice; I didn’t want to go to bed without hearing the “big news.” So I watched the video, and I felt so touched with Ted Williams’ story.

    Ted is a 53-year-old (but he doesn’t like like one; he looks older) homeless Ohio area man who held up a sign that read he had the “God-given gift of a great voice” and he was willing to share it with anyone who could donate some change. In exchange for a few coins, his patrons get a treat to sound bites of his bottomless, buttery, baritone voice.

    You know, I’m such a sucker for stories that deal with the theme of “second chances” simply because I believe in them myself. His is the epitome of how dreams can come true in this modern-day “Internet” era. What makes it even more appealing is that he left a life of alcoholism and drugs two and a half years ago. Watch the video here.

    Photo credit: NY Times

    Every day as I commute to work, I see homeless men on the sides of the road, and it often piqued my curiosity on the words they scribbled down on pieces of paper. It must have been Ted’s lucky day because a kind patron encountered Williams on the highway and uploaded a video of him and his golden voice. The video quickly turned out to be viral hit on YouTube. As a result of the video’s success and the former homeless man’s perfect voice, the Cleveland Cavaliers offered him a job as a full-time announcer for the Cavaliers and even offered him a house.

    This is what I call a miracle—certainly a phenomenon.

    I also watched a tearful Williams telling the CBS’ “The Early Show” about the best gift of all: the chance to visit his 92-year-old mom whom he hadn’t seen in at least a decade.

    I hope we can all learn from him. Let’s keep the faith and believe that there is a second chance in life.

    May the good Lord bless you, too, Dear Reader. 😀

    “Keep your dreams alive.Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”

  • Bottom Line is Diets Do Not Work

    Bottom Line is Diets Do Not Work

    Okay. So, at the beginning of the year, a local TV news program has aired in its features section a new diet for the year. It’s a low fat diet plan with the aim of continuing people’s quest to conquer weight loss once and for all. My bet? It won’t work.

    It’s almost impossible to read anything these days without finding another diet staring you in the face. At the supermarket checkout, there are inevitable ladies’ magazines, each with a brand-new diet, guaranteed to make you slim forever.

    The racks are filled with new (and expensive) magazines and books with bright covers pushing new diets, and they too guarantee that your body shape become that of become Olive’s—Popeye’s girlfriend—or somewhat.

    There must be 10 new, supposedly foolproof diets promoted every day. Usually, books make claims in bold font face that you can eat all you want of the food you like. After all, who wants to read about a new diet that expects you to give up good food when that’s what you are probably doing already?

    Well, you can take heart because the diets that tell you to give up the food you like don’t work. It should be obvious that when 10 new diets-each one claiming to be perfect-are published each day, there is something fishy going on. The problem is that diets don’t work in the first place. There is no diet now, and there never will be a diet that cures an overweight problem cold turkey. The reason for this is that diets don’t attack the fundamental problem of the fat person.

    You see, most people think that losing weight is the basic problem. In fact, most fat people make a profession of losing weight. The fat guy says, “I just can’t lose weight.” Sure, diets help people lose weight but the problem area they need to focus on more is gaining weight.

    Fat people gain weight so easily and quickly that they soon have more fat than they have just lost. Another problem is that something inside is making them gain weight faster than other people do. Something in their body chemistry must have been favoring the deposit of fat.

    When a naturally skinny person gains 1000 calories, all of them gets burned or wasted. When a fat person eats the same amount of calories, perhaps only 900 of them are used up and the remaining 100 are all converted to fat. The fat person’s body adjusts somehow to the making of excess fat.

    The conclusion has to be: Yes, people who have gotten too fat may need to go on a diet to get the fat off. Once most of the excess fat is off, however, they are really only at the beginning of their “treatment.” At that point, they must tackle the real problem.

    How can they change their body chemistry so that they won’t have such a tendency to make fat out of the food they eat? How can they avoid getting fat all over again? There is a way, of course. We can’t make the super-fat into a super-skinny, but we can improve everyone a little.

    If you want to lose fat, take it from me: eat less and exercise more! Sure, you can follow a diet plan but it will be effective if you turn it into a healthy lifestyle. If you want to learn more, you are welcome to read my article in Triond in relation to this subject: Lose Fat Like Counting 1-2-3!

  • Vedic Astrology Madness with Robert Valencia

    Case in point: Circumstances can change. Accidents can happen. And most of all, we can use our own free will to go in a different direction. So no, nothing is written in stone.You can change a future foretold. Never give anyone else the power to dictate your own future, no matter who they are.

    While Mom and I were watching “Perfect Match” last night, Dad entered the room—and with a sudden burst of exaltation, he told us what the astrologer on TV foretold for 2011. Most specially, he highlighted the prediction for his sign: Aries, year of the sheep. He said 2011 is a positive year for this moon sign; hard work and ability to react to situations on time will be the guiding spirit for progress this year.

    With his rising suggestion, I remembered my encounter with Robert Valencia. About four years ago, I met with this person. He’s a Vedic astrologer whom we contacted through paranormal expert Jaime Licauco. Why? I’ve always been interested with just how astrologers see flashes and foretell instances of the future whether it be for a specific person, group or organization, country or the world. So I thought I wanted to give it a try myself.

    Robert asked for my complete name, birth date, birth place and exact birth time and printed my birth chart prior the date of our meeting. From there, he made his analysis and arranged a discussion with us.

    Our meeting lasted for two hours. Without knowing me personally, he has been able to describe me extensively. He gave suggestions on how to go about in my tracks and decisions in life. Seeing my inner character and nature, he provided me with hints of things to watch out for—with respective date ranges—and advice on career and relationships with other people.

    While listening intently to his words, I took some notes down on paper. Here are some of his general insights. For those who know me well, you can compare the real me versus the me which he has seen through the birth chart reading here during your idle time.

    • You are fond of art and literature, great in conversation, modest, quite discriminative, economical, prudent, practical, active and methodical with good mental abilities.
    • You have knowledge of many subjects, a great sense of justice and many good friends.
    • You have much strong power to influence people.
    • You are very adaptable and capable of sudden changes to meet the needs and demands of circumstances. However this trait may make you appear to be a ‘difficult to understand’ person.
    • You generally have a small family and many have frequent changes of residence.
    • You undertake many long and short journeys but will remain accident-prone.
    • Sometimes you will be shy and timid and may lack self confidence. You will need to be alert and cautious of powerful enemies. You will have generally harsh relation with others, no good relations with the members of the family but a very happy relationship with your spouse.
    • The areas like business or work connected with earth products, software engineering, finance, banking, literature and art will suit you very well. However due to your inherent adaptability you will do very well in many other areas that demand intellectual acumen. Ailments like worms in intestine, dysentery, diarrhea, constipation, malnutrition and nervous weakness will be quite common.
    • You have a calm nature. There is a peculiarity while you’re smiling; your smile has the magnetic power to attract others. This inherent quality produces a vibration on others and it becomes difficult to leave the native once such acquaintance takes place. You can easily get respect and honor from the public. You are always in readiness to help the needy for nothing in return. You don’t like to deceive others even if it costs your life. In spite of this good quality, the reward you get in return is nothing but criticism and opposition. You do not believe in a posh living.
    • Your life is full of frequent ups and down. At one moment you rise to the top and another moment you fall to the bottom whether in professional field or in the mental world. In other words, luckiness and unluckiness comes without intimation.
    • In the work field, you keep strict discipline.
    • You possess excellent all-round knowledge. You are a good adviser as you have the capacity to intervene and settle various disputed matters. Lot of responsibilities will have to be undertaken before you can climb one step of ladder of success.
    • Period up to the 30th years of age will bring in unexpected circumstantial changes both in the family front as well as in the academic and professional or business field. Period between 30 to 42 years of age will be the golden period, when you can settle down in life. If you live beyond 64 years of age, there will be remarkable accumulation of wealth and all-round success in the business field.
    • You can enjoy a happy married life. Your husband will be wealthy and loving. You can enjoy good benefits from your children. First will be a son and followed by two daughters.

    As I write this, I know that the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s to happen. I don’t totally believe in the stuff written above plus the other things he mentioned not posted here; I just want them to stay as my guide at times when I feel I’m not in tune with the universe or live in the kind of world where I can only do things that I want to do. As well, I don’t subscribe to the view that I should just wander aimlessly and follow my bliss.

    Life is in constant flux, and stuff that happen within seconds, minutes, or days could greatly affect a fragile psyche, long term.

    We have our destiny. I’m not even sure if we can change it (as we never be safe from the scorching sun, the heavy downpour or the dreadful snarls of the fashion police).

    But this thing is for sure: we can direct it. Serendipity is everywhere. If we recognize that joy can be found by those taking the time to experience life rather than just charging selfishly through it, we will come to understand serendipity.

    Miracles are impossible, yet the impossible often happens when the human mind refuses to accept that something can’t be achieved. Miracles will only cease to exist when we stop believing in them.

  • 1.1.11 A New Age of Spiritual Uplift

    1.1.11 A New Age of Spiritual Uplift

     

    “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T. S. Eliot

    Despite the challenges that our country will be facing in 2011, I am excited of the possibilities and eager to start things rocking and shaking. Around 30 minutes before 2011 came in, my family and I had media noche to celebrate New Year’s eve while watching ABS-CBN and GMA networks’ live coverage of the countdown.


    Yesterday morning as I woke up, I reached out for my spanking new planner given by IBM, to start my vision for the new year. I opened the organizer and sniffed the smell of printed matter. Its pages are still blank. I know I am going to put words on them myself in the coming days. Yes, this is a book called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.


    Yesterday at lunch time, Louie fetched me up to get me write scripts of copy-text for Sage Digital’s website and online advertisements. He also had me witness how he unwrapped his new 27″ Asus LED and ASUS laptop. He finished installing all software and removing bloated programs at past six o’clock in the evening.

    We had dinner (North Park food delivery) and watched a movie (Good Will Hunting). Then, he went through his past goals and New Year’s resolutions posted on 43things.com and evaluated them before creating a new list for this year.

    Somehow while he was going over tons of suggested goals of other people, I’ve thought of one goal I’d like to incorporate in my own list. This will remain secret until the end of the year. But because I’m so kind, I’ll leave you a clue:

    “There comes a point when you get scared in life a little, when you want to stop dancing, but your feet move. And the music is so beautiful, and the tune is so upbeat and catchy that you can’t help but continue the steps. And your mind says ‘Are you crazy? You’re dancing with the devil.’ And you say ‘but at least someone will dance with me.’“

    Another thing: I’ll stay true.

    Next topic: People are getting antsy with numbers thinking that the dates 1-1-11, 1-11-11, 11-1-11 and 11-11-11 have meanings as well as the times 1:11 and 11:11. Since last year, I’ve been always seeing 11:11 whenever I look at my hand watch, the wall clock, the system [computer] time and even two side-by-side elevator floor numbers.

    To quench my thirst of interest, I thought of finding what these mean over the Internet, and this is what I found out: Our earthly 1,111 Spirit Guardians, often called “Midwayers,” have been assisting folks of all walks of life for many centuries. 11:11 is like a wake-up call which our so-called “angels” use to prompt our innate ability for pattern recognition to let us know that they are here.

    I don’t know if this is true, but sites say that when we see these numbers, we should vocally ask our spirit guides what they want to convey, and they’ll answer by showing us signs or going into our dreams while we’re asleep.

    Sounds intriguing? Try it out yourself.

    Tomorrow is back-to-work day.

    Live long and prosper.

     

  • Recollections for the New Year

    Recollections for the New Year

    Well, it’s that time of the year again—time to revisit my goals and see in myself how far I’ve gotten already. If you have never set goals for yourself, it is one of the most inspiring and life-affirming things that you can do and I highly recommend it.

    Writing my goals down gives me more direction and sets sail in finding out my next steps in life. (If what I’m currently doing doesn’t help me realize them, then I have to take a hundred eighty degree turn and walk away.)

    I now present to the world the four big goals of my life. Drum rolls, please, in your ears. And read:

    1. Increase my financial capacity.

    Since I graduated from college in October 2009, I felt terribly desperate and keyed up at the same time to get a job. In a span of two months, I’ve applied to a number of companies as an entry-level IT professional and went frantic when I wasn’t getting any great response to the dozens of resumes I sent out daily. After getting through series of exams and interviews in different places (mostly in Makati and Ortigas), I’ve successfully landed my first job as a global system administrator/metrics analyst in IBM-Global Process Services (Eastwood) in December 2009.

    At that time, I was only thinking about employment as the source of income I could get to support my sister’s college tuition. I thought I’d get myself employed by multinational companies to earn a title and good reputation in my profession while climbing all the way to the top of the corporate ladder through the years.

    But this perspective changed when I’ve attended seminars, read articles and seen videos talking about other productive strategies in building my way to riches. This was also thanks to Louie who was all the time feeding me his insights on stocks, real estate, online marketing/affiliating, modern entrepreneurship and the like.

    So where am I heading to? This year 2010, I have achieved my personal business commitment goals in my current role in IBM and even went farther. These I don’t brag off because I’m proud in being part of a “human domestication program,” where employees learn how to be “good pets” and become better ones, but these I’ll use as my passport to a better-paying job. “What? Job again?” you may ask.

    For now, I’m looking to moving from one “bus” to another in reaching for my capital in establishing a business. I have resigned from my present company last December 6, 2010 in the pursuit of assimilating more technical skills and experiencing working in a different industry before I take the next “bus” next year.

    Right now, my efforts aren’t enough to cover a salary for myself, but it’s enough to get us by until I found a more promising job in terms of compensation. I am very thankful for the learning experience and test in discipline I got from my short time as an IBMer, and I know those lessons will carry me through the next stages of my career.

    Moving on, I have received job offers by three companies this month but rejected them all because I had to wait for 45 days of clearance from IBM; I can’t start working for others just yet.

    I know it takes significant effort to build a successful business; it’s also a tremendous growth experience. Many people now are more aware that it’s better to have a business than a job. Many start-up businesses may fail, but the experience they get in return didn’t churn out any regrets for taking the plunge. There’s simply no substitute for holding the reins of your own destiny.

    In three to four years, I’m going to make it. And you can take my word for it.

    2. Travel.

    There are a lot of things that build character in a person, like when you finish a milestone in your life or when you overcome sorrow or when beat the odds of some grave disease or sickness. On a lighter note, I believe that traveling builds character. Even though my family and I have not traveled together extensively, we know that from the few travels that we did have that it made us richer inside of us.

    Whenever we come back from our trips, our eyes were more open to other cultures, traditions, beliefs and values. It took the experience of going to another places and seeing for ourselves the lives of others. It took the experience of dancing with its people, eating their food and walking on their “sands” to understand and believe that there was more to this life, our life, than what we had back home.

    We learned that, in general, people are people where ever you go. People still react to your smile, your consideration, and your respect of life that you know here. It does not matter if you do not know their language or if the color of your skin is different than theirs. It does not take traveling to understand this, but it does help in opening your eyes to the colors of the world and its people.

    My goal is to travel to Asian countries Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China and more destinations outside Asia if time and money permit me. So far, I have been only to China, Taiwan and Thailand. In the Philippines, I have visited Batangas, Laguna, Tagaytay, Baguio, Antipolo, Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Ilo-ilo, Bacolod, Olongapo, La Union, Tarlac and Pampanga. I am hoping to meet other booming areas within the country like Davao and Cebu. I mean we don’t even have to go far, we just have to keep your mind and heart open.

    3. Be as happy as I can be.

    Imagine you’re a builder erecting a tall building. You do everything to make sure you have a good foundation, and you make constant improvements as you build floor by floor. But you get so engrossed doing each floor that you forget to finish your building by placing something fitting on top.

    It’s the same way in becoming rich. We need to not only focus on earning money but also on loftier, nobler goals such as helping others and finding real satisfaction in life. In the end, it all boils down to earning money as not a destination but a journey towards a greater destination obtaining full happiness.

    My idea of happiness is making other happy, by helping others and providing them simple necessities in life I can provide. It’s when everything were to be ripped away from me, I’d still be just as happy as when I have all the material things I possess in abundance.

    The grand key here as I see it is we can never really make it big unless we have inner happiness which we’ll get if: we enjoy what we presently have, associate with positive-minded people, increase our confidence despite setbacks, pursue what we really like, share what we have and exult in every attained goal.

    To be truly happy, advisers say we must accept the circumstances we live in. I once found this as a struggle but now I can honestly say that I understand that these hardships are graciously given to me to grow. I took acceptance in what I have and what I don’t have. To be happy, I strive to do everything I can to make sure the people around me are happy as well.

    To be happy, I must live, and to truly live, I must love as much as possible and be thankful for everything in this world because everything is beautiful and beauty deserves love. And love means happiness, always.

    4. Maintain fitness in body, mind and soul.

    Body (aside from keeping a flat stomach)

    • Drink plenty of water.
    • Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
    • Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
    • Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
    • Make time to pray and detoxify n silence.
    • Play more games.
    • Read more books.
    • Sleep for at least 7 hours.
    • Walk 10 to 30 minutes daily.

    Mind

    • Don’t compare my life to others. (I have no clear idea what their journey is all about.)
    • Don’t have negative thoughts or things I cannot control. Instead invest my energy in the positive present moment.
    • Don’t overdo. Keep my limits.
    • Don’t take life so seriously. No one else does.
    • Dream more while awake.
    • Don’t feel envious. It’s just a waste of time. I already have all that I need.
    • Forget issues of the past. (Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.)
    • Don’t hate others. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
    • Realize that life is a school and we’re here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away, but the lessons we learn will last a lifetime.
    • Smile and laugh more.
    • I don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

    Soul

    • Do the right thing!
    • Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
    • Think that God heals everything.
    • However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    • No matter how I feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    • Think that the best is yet to come.
    • Thank God for every day.

    That’s it so far, but it’s long by my standards. There are other things that I could add, but these seem to be the most pressing. I’m not really into material things; I will stick to these for now. I think I already have my hands full!

    I hope that 2010 has been a great year for all of you. I hope you grow to understand yourselves and your friends (and parents) better. I hope nothing ever holds you back from doing something you want to do, and that you find the strength within yourself to fight for what’s right, and make a difference. Make it a year of memories. Live for every moment, treat each day as if it were your last, and never regret anything that once made you smile.

    On second thoughts, never regret anything at all. Laugh and smiles lots, but cry lots too, especially with friends. Whatever you’re doing, follow your heart. Trust yourself and your instincts. And every day, wake up with a smile of your face thinking “Roch loves me.” ♥

    I hope you’re inspired.

    Happy New Year!

  • Rundown of Accomplishments for 2010

    Rundown of Accomplishments for 2010

    My heart grows tender with treasured childhood memories and love of family when the Christmas season comes. I believe we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. It is an exciting moment for me.

    Too bad we’ve spent Christmas in a Buddhist country: Thailand, where the holiday was not celebrated quite as much as we do in the Philippines.

    Even so, we’ve had new encounters in our travel which compensated the merry feeling I’ve been long awaiting for and looking forward to. For sharing purposes, I have posted them in my Facebook album (viewable by Friends, Friends of Friends).

    So…it has been a week of stressing, wrapping, spending, crowned with a glorious weekend of stuffing! December went by like some kind of twister. Now we can finally get back to normal.

    Before the start of the New Year, I’d like to report and recap the 30 highlighted episodes I’ve lived through 2010—because it’s just self-fulfilling!

    Here they are:

    1. 2010jan10 – attended the Money Management Seminar of Create Abundance 2020 in Coffee Bean, Trinoma; learned about entrepreneurship, financial freedom, investment strategies, handling of personal wealth, conscientious budgeting practices, creating a savings plan, and a number of other financial concerns
    2. 2010jan22 – chaired the first global bi-monthly checkpoint for TVC; talked with Bangalore, Costa Rica, Budapest, Brazil IBM centers; learned how to better understand their accents : )
    3. 2010jan24 – bought a 22″ LG LCD PC [monitor] for my sister with my first month’s salary; felt like I’ve opened the gateway to life for buying something considerably big for my loved one
    4. 2010feb2 – presented in IBM NHOB (New Hires’ On-boarding) for the first time; overcame my fear of presenting before a large audience (with no scripts this time!)
    5. 2010feb6 – started writing for Triond; felt free; Sometimes when I write online I feel like it needs to be a masterpiece of my thoughts put together in a precisely and perfectly thought out paragraph… screw that! The idea is that I write a blog, online article, not a thesis paper or some technical or medical journal students and professionals would use as reference.
    6. 2010feb12 – started using Twitter; engaged with more people online (including strangers); also started publishing ads
    7. 2010mar3 – became editor of BCO (Blue Current Online), IBM’s online newsletter; sensed a higher altitude of authority; felt even more responsible for the articles we issue every month
    8. 2010mar13 – joined a discussion on food-carting businesses conducted by a Royale Business Club resource; widened my horizons and knowledge on franchising, brand identification, marketing and distribution system of businesses and other possibilities open in that industry
    9. 2010mar14 – hosted the Ming Sheng Wushu Association‘s inaugural ceremony, opening of its new gym at 5F Le Mar Building 2; gained a lot more confidence in speaking before a crowd
    10. 2010may10 – voted for the National Elections; participated in the first ever automated elections (oh yeah!)
    11. 2010may16 – learned how to swim correctly on my own in an excursion/swimming trip with wushu team in Villa Teresa Resort, South Spring Village, Laguna
    12. 2010may23 – won in the 4th Season of ChiChing Wushu Competition, when I only trained for a max of five days
    13. 2010may28 – was officially regularized as an IBMer
    14. 2010jul25 – had a discussion regarding IPON investment fund of Prudential Life, SM Mega Mall with Louie; met Philip who shared stories about his being and he who made me redefine the simplicity of everything else in life
    15. 2010aug3 – received my iPhone, my [late] birthday gift to myself
    16. 2010aug9 – bought my first eyeglasses with updated eye grade prescription care of Maxicare, IBM’s health benefit, from Optical Works, Ali Mall
    17. 2010aug14 – brainstormed on a food review blog with Henshel and Gianne, MOA; felt excited for another writing experience
    18. 2010sep2 – ran the video I made for NHOB which made our presentation easier and faster
    19. 2010sep27 – started Insanity (Beach body) workout which I continued and survived for three weeks (videos I downloaded via Torrent) and which you should try out yourself
    20. 2010oct1 – passed the Six Sigma Yellow Belt exam after completing online and classroom trainings for a series of days (whew!)
    21. 2010oct6 – chaired the BCO meeting for the first time as BCO backup lead
    22. 2010oct16 – had my hair layered for the first time in many years, tried straight bangs for a more different look at David’s Salon
    23. 2010oct17 – talked with Marian Goquingco, Geriec’s mom, about Philamlife mutual funds investment in Coffee Bean, Robinson’s Place Manila; fueled me to learn more about other investment funds’ trends and the market
    24. 2010oct25 – voted for the Barangay Elections; exercised my rights and have done my job and my responsibility as a citizen of the Philippines
    25. 2010nov4 – got my student’s driving permit from LTO-San Andres
    26. 2010nov6 – had my first dental surgery; got my wisdom teeth (upper left and lower left) extracted
    27. 2010nov14 – attended the UHSAAI Alumni Homecoming as one of the student awardees, lunch time, Dragon Gate-Roxas Boulevard
    28. 2010nov22-26 – completed my driving lessons with A1
    29. 2010dec25 – experienced the simplest form of para-sailing in Pattaya Beach, Thailand
    30. 2010dec29 – had a pedicure for the first time; had my toenails painted green that resembles the color of light celery (yay!)