Anything goes...

Christmas is so near, I can feel the cold morning breeze each time I wake up in the wee hours. I can so smell Christmas. This 2011 has been more generous and kind to me, I passed the Civil Service Professional Exams and I got hired in the government for a regular post. What more can I ask for? Well, I have been very thankful about all the goodness life has been with me, and I am thankful for those who prayed with me to achieve what I desired. All those desires were actually for the future of my kids, I have asked God to bless me with those gifts because I am thinking of my kids' future and my family. This time, my Christmas wish list includes only material things for myself. I hope Santa hears me and reads this so he could wrap something that's written in my Christmas wish list and drop it in my doorstep. 1. An e-book reader. I don't care what brand it is for as long as I can read, most especially while waiting for the bus to run in my going to and fro home and office. 2. A...

Yes, October has been declared as National Children's Month, but this post is actually about the children, and the games that we played when we were kids, and in connection with this, how we can teach these games to our children. Last September, our department's Family Day was held in a beach resort here in the city. Everyone had fun, and part of the activities was the traditional Pinoy games (Larong Pinoy) we once played as kids. As a child many years back, I remember playing some of the games like Luksong Tinik, Siyatong, Sipa, Patintero, Tumba Preso and many others. I remember playing Tumba Preso with my childhood friends who were also my neighbors. And I also played Siyatong. But what was my favorite was Step-No, and I was really one of the kids who enjoyed playing that. Now, with the existence of modern technology in the name of computers and game consoles, our children no longer go out in the sun and play. What I have noticed with my kids is that they enjoy more of playin...

Lately, there have been a lot of news on the TV, young girl died because of suicide due to a breakup. 26 year old guy killed himself after girlfriend broke up with him. Teenager jumping out of a running bus because of depressed state from dengue and bad education. Why all these things have been running around in the news is something I think is a serious case of depression among our youths. And for me, dying at such a young age, taking their lives is just as pathetic and unworthy. I am not really very affected with this, but I see it as something serious that the government should seek into. Depression. Why our younger generation seem to be so affected with damaged lovelife and other causes is a challenge too for parents out there who have young ones in the family. I think they should know when their children are suffering from depression so they could at least prevent suicides and other pathetic things the young could do to himself or to others just because of a breakup or something u...

I have been looking forward to this weekend, not only because I can rest easy but because I can be with the kids the whole day and not bother about waking up so early for a trip to work. I have set a special time for the family today and we hope to fit in the day some shopping spree because I just need a lot of things to use for in my new office which can also be found at gopromos.com custom keychains if only I had more moolah in my online account. I need something new in my closet too. You see, I am a simple person, I can go to the office with just my jeans and a shirt on, a pair of flats and without the makeup. But that seems to be off as of the moment with my new role as the Regional Director's secretary, I must at least be able to wear more presentable clothes other than shirts and maybe some pumps with heels and really good jeans to pair with the blouses and working clothes I will have to buy. I am dealing with really high and classy visitors of my boss, so I must at least lo...

It's actually a hassle for me to be preparing for very early morning trips to where I work, considering that I have been working my whole life in General Santos City, and now, after more than 10 years, I will be back to my hometown, away from my family, and on a daily basis of commuting to work and back to my loved ones in the afternoon. It's a total sacrifice. However, I would love to do this every now and then since I think I am already enjoying the commute and the people I get to meet inside the bus are the same people I meet everyday, all of hustling to get a vacant seat so as to not get late, and feeling laid back in the afternoon going home. We are all the same faces, well, almost. However, this defeats the primary purpose I have been working, and that is to save. I just couldn't save if I spend P200 on my daily fares, that means a thousand too after a whole week and P4000 in a month. My salary is not that big to enjoy this daily ride, but I sure want to get home to m...

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the mid...

As you all know, I just got my regular item in the Department of Labor and Employment last September, and words were out that I was gonna be assigned at the regional office which is in Koronadal City, an hour of bus ride away from GenSan. It's a hassle for me to be going home daily to beat the traffic and the time for work, but there is no choice as I have to follow marching orders to be there on October 3 as my first day of duty at the regional office. It's just an hour, inisip ko na lang, parang Makati to Manila lang ang byahe ko, hahaha. Mas worse pa nga ata dun sa Luzon. Words were not only hearsays, I have confirmed too, that I am going to be secretary to the regional director. Something which I still cannot believe, the regional director trusting me with all things personal and office-related is a big job for me, a work which is many levels higher than my previous job as a Skills Registry encoder, or my job as editor in my previous employer. When I got welcomed in the off...