taking a step back

This morning I attended an orientation given by the BBY project (Breaking Barriers for Young adults with disabilities) and they shared their worthy cause of providing free comprehensive rehabilitation services and development trainings to underprivileged YAWDs (young adults with disabilities). They were trying to get commitments from local establishments, government offices, and individuals to support their project through job opportunities, OJTs, and information campaigns. Personally, I find their efforts commendable and I am very much in support of their cause. However, employment opportunity is nil at the moment and all I could extend was a commitment to accommodate any OJT they may have who have trainings related to my industry.

It was a welcome reprieve from the daily pressures of the workplace and an opportunity to see a bigger picture than the nooks and crannies of The Property. The song offered by one of their beneficiary, Beautiful In My Eyes, was very touching (probably because I love the song) and dispelled the anxiety caused by the traffic jam I encountered while commuting to the venue. The testimony of another was also enlightening, it made me wonder at the courage this young people had to pursue their goal of a normal, self-sustained life.

For the first time in a while I felt a calm sense of well being. I think I have become too engrossed in the corporate world. The daily worries of the office are starting to haunt me even at home. Although I have expressed the desire to find another career, I find that I can’t make a move towards this dream. It’s as if I have become stuck in a ride that I cannot halt and have no control over.

Very serious musings for the day, I must admit… maybe I just need to get some more exercise.

And let the bigger picture stay firmly fixed in front of my eyes.

Game On!

Guimaras Adventure Park at Jordan, Guimaras. company teambuilding. paintball. target shooting. rapelling. orientering.

almost forgot the camping bit. and the food. and the drinks.

STATS:

paintball. 2nd place. 5 rounds. 4 major hematomas (!).

target shooting. 6 out of 7 shots. 4 , 15 point hits, and 2, 25 point hits.

rapelling. 2 descents. 1 australian.

orientering. compass man. 3rd place. 10 min 35 sec. "GO TEAM!"

total fun: PRICELESS!

(LOL)

paparazzi mania

"daw bata gamay ka, mam." sabi ng isang manager dito sa Property. (para sa mga hindi ilonggo ibig sabihin n'yan super kaduper uber to the max maganda ako... hindi kayo maniwala? ok payn. hmp! tanungin n'yo nlng sa iba kng gusto n'yo. bleh!)

sinagot ko s'ya, " ba't mo nmn nasabi?" (tagalog nlng para wala ng magtanong at klaro sa lahat...)

"wala lng", sabi n'ya. "kasi itsura mo eh." sabay chuckle (oo chuckle. hindi nmn gigols at hindi rin nmn guffaw yun eh. wak na hingi ng sample. amp na yan!).

hmmmnnn... peeling bananas, este, feeling superstar nmn ako... hak hak hak

siguro ito na ang tamang panahon para i-unviel ko ang mala-stalker kuha ng camera ni markky... wahahaha.. feast your eyes on these... (bwahahaha)

pinapakilala ko si marrky... ang certified coffee buddy ko! weeeh!

hahaha.. sa kanya ko natutunan uminon ng kape, straight! no cream, no sugar...! punta kami sa peborit naming kopeshop, coffeebreak, at mag order nang brew of the week... and take home the sugar and creamers! (pero hindi kuha sa cofebrek to.. sa dunkin lng kasi hatinggabi na eh.. sensya nlng..)

pero in seryusnes... hindi nmn sa lahat ng oras advantageous maging young and gorgeos. espesyali kapag nasa job description mo mag-disiplina at mangsita ng mga pasaway na empleyado... kakainin ka ng buhay sakali... pero may sekret weapon ako... try lng nila akong lunukin at mabubulunan sila... or ip not, ako na uuna sa kanila.. mas matalas kaya pangil ko.. rhaarr!

pa-sweetums epek lng ako.. pero i'll eat them for breakfast and spit out there blackened bones to build my house of terrors kung kinakailangan... ika nga, i may speak softly but i carry a big stick! wakokoh

and in fairness, me go signal ako sa mga bosing... ahahaha... gusto nila ang maldita side ko kasi alam nilang may mga taong uubra lng ang show of force. tsk tsk.. it may not be my style most of the time, but i can respect the necessity of extreme measures wherever needed.

but let's leave that aside... for now... dun nalng tayo sa koment ng ka-opisina ko...

hmmmmnnn... kelangan ko na sigurong magpagupit ano.. para nmn bagong look sa 2009...

Para sa mga OC

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

ang araw na ito ay para sa mga OC. at ang linyang yan ni Emerson ay para sa mga feeling OC... oo kasama na ako jan... at wag kang magkaila, alam mong, isa ka rin dun.

:p



********

ganito kasi. may isa akong kasama sa office na ang binungad na kwento sakin pagkakita namin kaninang umaga ay ang kinuwento rin niya sakin nang huli kaming magkita, nung sabado pa!. Sa loob ko lang, nagtataka ako kung para sa kanya may naglipas bang oras magmula nang una naming na-discuss ang concerns niya. para kasing, naka-pause lang yung train of thought n'ya tas ng magkita kami ulit, hayun nag resume play na naman... (doh)

dahil nga kulang ako sa tulog wala akong magawa kundi mag tango nlng sa bawat salita n'ya. wala akong energy na magsingit mn lang ng opinyun ko. and dig this, gusto ko sanang matulog sa lunchbreak ko, pero pumasok sya sa office ko at sinarado ang pinto at nagkwento na nmn. goodbye, forty-winks! haaay...

pero may punto nmn ang concern niya. yun nga lang, parang sirang plaka na talaga. natorete ako at nawalan ng gana. yung arguement nya tuloy parang wala ng epek. subrang pabalik-balik na. alam ko na ba't ganun nlng ang reaksyun ng iba kapag sya na ang mag-umpisang magsalita. alam nilang wala ng katapusan.

pano kaya bukas? ganun parin ba ang bukang-bibig nya??!



*******

speaking of OC, I remember Orson Scott Card's book Xenocide and his description of a planet named Path and the genetically enhanced elite of the planet that suffered a form of OCD. In the book, those who were afflicted by OCD were considered Godspoken and were treated as demigods themselves. when the first symptoms of OCD appear in their children, they are subjected to a test wherein they either kill themselves or find an act of "purification" that would suffice to ease the overwhelming compulsion they feel.

much as in the real world, OCD can be quite crippling. we jokingly allude to it when we notice someone being overly neat or exhibits wierd tendencies like untwirling phone cords or aligning books or papers against table edges, but i've heard of people with the wierdest compulsions like making sure that the gas switch is turned off by switching it repeatedly up to 100 times.

*******

ikaw? ano ang act of purification mo?

Para sa Kaalaman ng Lahat.

Dahil nga HR ako, eto ang memo para sa inyong lahat. bwahahahah

Wag mag-alala pinapa-alam ko lng sa inyo ang holidays sa buwan ng Desyembre. Yepeeh! Mahaba-haba ang panahong makapaglakwatsa at mas maraming araw na may extra pay ang mga huwarang empleyado na nagre-report kahit na non-working day.



Gamitin sa tamang paraan ang impormasyung ito.

Mga Suhestyun at Remaynders:

1) Kung meron kang leave credits, mainam na magfile ng leave para sa Dec 27 & 28 (kung hindi day-off) upang ang bakasyun ay aabot sa 8 araw. "See you next year" na lang sa papel, stapler, at bosing mo.

2) Kung wala nmn at hindi n'yo day off ang Dec 27 or 28, kelangan ay magreport kayo. Otherwise, wala kang sahud (kung hindi ka papasok) magmula Dec 29 hanggang Jan 1. Kaya ako, magrereport ako sa Dec 28. haay naku...!

3) Ang mga taong kailangan na magreport: operations para sa pinagkikitaan ng kompanya, at HR at accounting para sa payroll, please lang at wag mawala na parang lechon sa noche buena na hindi tinatapos ang gawain o walang taong mapagkatiwalaan sa mga responsibilidad nila. Ang mga malademonyong mga kampon ng iresponsableng empleyado na mga ito ay makakatanggap ng napakagandang memo galing sa HR sa pagbungad ng bagong taon... at kung HR ka tulad ko, gyera ang kahihinatnan mo kung walang sahud na matanggap ang mga tao.

4) Sulitin ang bakasyun kapiling ang mga mahal sa buhay. Wag gaanong mabahala sa mga regalo o handa. Ang importante ay maipadarama mo sa kanila ang iyong kalinga at pagmamahal.


Ayan, at meron na kayong guidelines...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Ang pasalubong at regalo ko wag ninyong kakalimutan...! wakehkehk.



Muntik na makalimutan. Etoh and reference.

(~_^)

Suicidal Tendencies

One of my youngest brother’s friends, Z, tried to kill himself last night. He tried to jump off a building. Good thing, the rescue workers we’re already there to catch him. Poor kid…

Ironically, his mother had already dropped by our house earlier that evening looking for him. When I got home, my mother asked Eron about his friend and then a discussion ensued about how Z had been acting weird for the last couple of weeks. He’d been asking money for his stepdad who was at the hospital and also for their electricity bill. He was also exhibiting anxiety about a personal matter at school, saying that someone was out to kill him. He’d been staying out late, not eating or sleeping, and purportedly roaming downtown at the wee hours of the morning.

I told my brother and the rest of his friends to talk to his mom about what had been going on and advised them to seek professional help for Z. So they went to his mom and while they were there they heard over the radio about a young man who was trying to kill himself.

At home, my mother was also listening to the radio. We all tried to hope that it wasn’t him. Some confusion arose because a certain boy whose name sounded closely alike to Z’s was also missing. But after all the drama, we found out that it was indeed Z.

Some would say a lot of disparaging things about Z. Even his friends tried to draw away from him when he started to act weird. They mistrusted him and instead of taking his symptoms seriously, he was turned away. His mother, by all accounts, seemed detached and unconcerned. Although we may never know her side of the story, still I can’t help but feel that she could have done something more.

I am concerned. These things happen. Depression, anxiety: words we sometimes use instinctively and yet we never quiet realize what it means until something like this happens to one of our own.

A few months back I attended a seminar on Psychological First Aid and I tried to review the handouts. I also did a little research and here’s a little something worth sharing:

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is “a description of a humane, supportive response to a fellow human being who is suffering and who may need support.” Most of the literature would suggest that PFA is administered to traumatic events that often involve threat to life and safety. However, emotional or psychological trauma can be generalized to experiences that make you feel terrified, helpless, unprepared, or alone. Not all such experiences lead to long lasting emotional or psychological distress; most will decrease naturally over time without need of external intervention.

Surprisingly, psychological first aid does not require professional training and in fact “people who are empathetic, motivated and willing can apply it without training, while others may need very basic training.” And it is most useful because it aims to create and sustain an environment of: 1) safety, 2) calm, 3) connectedness to others, 4) self-efficacy or empowerment, and 5) hope.

The seminar enumerated the following steps in administering PFA:

1. Provide opportunity to talk about the events but without pressure.

· Respect the wish not to talk and avoid pushing for more information than the person may be ready to give
· Listen in an accepting and non-judgmental manner

2. Identify basic practical needs and ensure that these are met

3. Discourage negative ways of coping – specifically through the use of alcohol or other substances

4. Encourage participation in normal daily routines (if possible) and use of positive means of coping

5. Encourage, but not force, company from one or more family member or
friends

6. Protect from further harm.

I’ve also found the following materials online. Please take time to scan them as they may prove handy one of these days:

· Courage to Care – 2 page fact sheet from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences on PFA
· PFA for First Responders – Tips for emergency and disaster response workers
· Listen, Protect, and Connect - PFA for children, parents, and caregivers
· Listen, Protect, and Connect - Model & Teach – PFA for students and teachers.

I hope in some ways this article will encourage you to reach out to those people in your life who may need help. Even just to talk to them and assuage their anxiety or just be there and listen to their woes.

Lexis of Wisdom

It surprises me no end what you can learn from other people. Just the other day I had the opportunity to acquire a little bit of data on the fine points of my current service industry.

The following exchange has been edited to protect the identity of those involved, my job status, and to enhance the reading enjoyment of you, my beloved readers:

Uber-Visor: Let me tell you something I’ve observed about our “service” industry from my personal experience, Sub-Ordinate A.

Sub-Ordinate A: Yes, oh wise Uber-Visor. Do share a measure of your fount of knowledge on me a meager follower of your counsel.

Uber-Visor: ‘Tis this… In our industry, the males only fall into one of two categories. Either they are Gay or Manyak.

Sub-Ordinate A: *Purses its lips in confusion, hesitant to ask the obvious question: “Which one do you belong to, exalted Uber-Visor?”*

Uber-Visor: *Probably sensing Sub-Ordinate A’s unasked question.* Well, ehermm… maybe not Manyak in all instances… but , definitely mahilig…

Sub-Ordinate A: Oh…! Well, that is good to learn, Uber-Visor.

You notice the unasked question remained unanswered. But, I don’t want to speculate on that. I’d rather concentrate on the sweeping generalization inherent in the assertion of Uber-Visor and how he came to such a conclusion…!?

Lesson: One can learn much from what others say. But one can learn so much more by what they do not say.

:D

I'm Late, I'm Late, I'm Late...

"... No time to say, "Hello, goodbye". I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."

This is what the March Hare said when Alice first met him. And yes he was off rushing to a very important appointment... a tea party with the Mad Hatter and the Door Mouse. Hmmn...

This morning, I was late for a meeting. Thirty-two minutes to be exact. But as usual in the Philippines, and particularly in the public service sector (?!), being late is not only excusable, it is almost mandatory. When I got to the venue, only about twenty people were there (they were expecting 60, I asked), and when I perused the program, not one of the guest speakers were there. Surprise!

After another twenty minutes of waiting I was fidgeting in my seat wondering whether the "consultative meeting" was indeed going to be happening. Some lady, probably sensing the rising impatience of the crowd, went to the front and announced the availability of "free-flowing" coffee. Oh, please! I wanted to plead with her to start the program already!

Finally, somebody started to tinker with the multi-media projector. At last, someone in charge is checking the equipment. But, wait! The snacks are already being served and we have not yet had the opening prayer...!

Somebody finally took notice of the time being wasted and started the ball rolling over two hours from the indicated start time. Whew! The agenda covered lasted at most two hours by itself and the ensuing open forum another hour and half. In all, a meeting that would have lasted half day ate up almost double the time. Talk about time management?!

I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. But then again, this is the Philippines, not Wonderland...!

Independence Day..?

Lest we forget, today is June the 12th. Officially the Republic of the Philippines' Independence Day.

Of course, with GMA's holiday economics, today is a regular working day while the non-working day was moved to June 9 (http://www.ops.gov.ph/records/issuances-proc/Proc1463.pdf). Nevertheless, activities in observance of our Independence Day are to be undertaken as is.

With the current economic crisis looming in our midst, some may question the impact of such a holiday. When you see over the news people lining up to buy rice, the increasing prices of oil, and the decreasing value of the peso, it begs the question: are we really free?

Today, our concern is not about freedom from invasion or rule of other countries. It is freedom from poverty, unemployment, and hunger.

As can be shown by the activities they have chosen to undertake (see details: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p080604.htm&no=47), the government is well aware of the current situation in our country.

Let us hope that they are doing their best and not merely showing a front. Or else, they may be doing a great disservice to the past and present heroes of our country who gave us this Day that we are commemorating.