brain freeze

Tomorrow’s the deadline for completion of requirements to clear my EXT, extended, rating (equivalent to INC, incomplete, in residential mode of education).

Of all my major courses, I got this grade in computer ethics – the easiest course of all. The course requires a lot of essays and essays are not my cup of coffee. I struggle in expressing myself. (Well, blogging is an exception since I only write why I have already experience aside from the fact that it is not graded!) When the time came to submit our portfolio, sort of a collection of our thoughts on some ethical questions, I wasn’t able to send mine. Basically because I had not finished writing my stuff – up to this day!

Right now, my brain is dead. I can’t think. Even with the help of Bach playing in background nothing comes up.

I got to focus.

Focus.

Focus.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm…………… mmmmmmmm……… mmmmmmmmm…..

when it rains, it pours --- super!!!

Drought was back as soon as I posted this entry. I wished for the rain to come back. I thought that I jinxed it until this morning it rained very hard! So hard, I had to wait for like 3 hours before going to work hoping that rain will stop. But it didn’t. I had no choice but to fix myself up, wear my corporate outfit for the day and report to work.

As I opened the gate, I was surprised by the flood on our street. Good thing the sidewalk is still walk-able. 5 minutes of being out and I am already wet soaked in rain water. Then suddenly, the rain stopped! Someone is really kidding on me! I got back to my apartment, took another bath and this time put on my jeans and shirt! I didn’t care anymore if HR will shout on my neck! There is a storm for crying out loud! Corporate attire yourself!

Anyway, I came at work 30 minutes before noon. Almost everyone was late and I was the only “pasaway” one in jeans.

Ok, next time, I’ll be careful for what I wish for.

checking my mail

Just received this article from an email… An eye opener… Makes me wonder where my taxes go… Hmmm… Ok, I’ll just pretend I didn’t see my pay slip today.

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http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/june/12/yehey/opinion/20070612opi4.html


VIRTUAL REALITY
By Tony Lopez
The evil of dynasties


Just how bad dynasties are to the economy and the country can be gleaned from the amount of taxpayers’ money these people have access to.

Take the Senate. There will be siblings—Pia and Alan Cayetano. In addition, Alan’s wife, Laarni, took his old congressional seat from Taguig. There will probably be a father-and-son senator—Nene Pimentel and Koko Pimentel. The No. 2 most popular senator, Chiz Escudero, has his father, Sonny, as congressman from Sorsogon, his son’s old turf. Ed Angara is senator; his son and namesake is a congressman.

A senator draws P200 million in pork barrel; a congressman, P70 million. Therefore, Pia, Alan and Laarni will rake in P470 million a year, or P1.4 billion in three years. Nene and Koko will have P400 million between themselves yearly, or P1.3 billion in three years. Chiz and Sonny will enjoy P270 million per year, or P810 million in three years, just like the Angara father-and-son tandem.

How much does the average poor make a day? A third of the 85 million population, or 25.5 million of the people of this country make less than $1 a day, or $365 (or P17,155) a year.
According to Ping Lacson, the P200-million pork barrel of a senator is just a starting figure. If a senator sponsors a Cabinet department during the budget hearings and sessions, he/she is given access to P350 million in the line budget of that department. So P200 million plus P350 million, that’s P550 million.

What do the Filipino people get in return for electing these people? Very little, if any.

In the last 100 years since Filipinos began electing their representatives, the Philippines degenerated from being the No. 1 economy, trading and commercial power in Asia to No. 73 least competitive country in the world. Today, the Philippines is less free than it was a century ago. Did you know that the Philippines used to be Asia’s industrial power?

As late as the 19th century, the Philippines was already one of Asia’s premier industrialized countries and was the center of culture and education. The country was producing iron-ore sheets, refined iron ore, liquor from molasses using then unheard-of boilers, fine textiles for export, and was using steam engines and steam ships. It established the first bank in Asia, made the first typhoon forecast in Asia, and set up the first European-style universities in Asia.

Manila had a street car system, just like San Francisco; and had a ferrocarril line from the city to Dagupan in the north and from Manila to Batangas and Bicol in the south. By 1895, Manila had an electric light system. The first taxi fleet, the first airline, the first modern newspapers, the first conglomerate were established by Filipino tycoons. What happened after that?

During the last 100 years, Japan became a military power and the world’s No. 2 economic power next to the United States.

During the last 50 years, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore became economic miracles. Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore became nation states (they used to be unknown islands while Filipinos were already conducting diplomatic relations with Europe and China). In fact, at one time, the Sultan of Sulu was a frequent visitor in China because he liked it there. He stayed there for three months, but died of syphilis. The Chinese erected a monument in his honor.

In the last 30 years, the Philippines became the slowest growing economy per capita in Asia, bar none. During that time, Congress produced 15,000 laws and law schools 30,000 lawyers, half of whom are active. So two lawyers for every one law. Yet, the Philippines has a very poor human rights and economic rights record.

We got our priorities wrong. We gave the people the power to vote even before the people and those they elect learned how to govern properly or at the very least, prepare or educate themselves to have a modicum of competency and honesty.

These days, people kill people just to be able to serve the people. People bribe people just to be able to serve the people. That is the meaning of a heated electoral contest. And of fraudulent elections.

Should our politicians be blamed for the nadir we have fallen into? I will say no if those families mentioned in the first part of this column will return their pork barrel and declare, “from now on, I will truly serve the people.” C’mon, give the money to the 12-million school-age children who are out of school because of extreme poverty. You don’t deserve so much money. You didn’t earn it.

when it rains, it pours

I got a 2 day vacation last week. It should have been 7 days which means that I should still be on leave this week; however, 2 of my colleagues have filed for their breaks this week and there was a training scheduled for me as well so my 5 days were not approved. My anticipation of 11 days without work has given me dismay when I learned that it won’t happen. I have planned to finish all my pending requirements in school – knowing that I got ample time to concentrate. So, I didn’t finish everything.

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Speaking of school – I am currently taking my master’s degree in information systems in UPOU. This is my 2nd year, but I won’t be graduating this school year. I am taking my time as I am still mastering the art of balancing work and study. Mind you, online learning is hard. I was wrong when I thought that would be easy because I would get to study on my own pace without having to deal with professors and parasitic classmates. God! I wish I have the time to be a resident in a campus so I could get all the live interaction that I could get instead of purely email and chat!

I am afraid that I will drop a course this semester. I got 9 units – 3 major, as in MAJOR, subjects. My shifting and on-call schedules, in addition to my new role won’t let me have enough time for all those courses. God help me! I already got an EXT (extended) grade last year (which means INC – incomplete for campus-based students). I don’t want to have another set of letters, i.e. DRP (dropped) on my transcript. But I have would to choose the lesser evil between DRP and 5.0. By the way, I’m thinking of dropping my Strategic Information Systems Development course. My time is so limited to find a company which is large enough for a strategic information systems plan.

So, before I drop a subject, if there is anyone reading this blog who could be of help to provide me with details of a company / government agency so I could finish one of my projects I would really appreciate it. God bless you whoever you are. A big thanks as well.

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I my hair cut last Thursday. I got my hair really short – but somewhat longer than skin head. I was anticipating heat brought about by dry spell. I didn’t want to put on gel on my hair ‘coz it will just retain heat. But it rained. It has been raining since Saturday. It rained all day yesterday. I guess this is the start of the wet season.

Well, I hope drought is done because I hate sweat. Even if I was wet in rain water before I reached the office yesterday, I was happy because I wasn’t soaked in sweat!

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Being in training means that I won’t have to be on my project at work. My 3-day training is such a relief because I won’t have to deal with the client’s pressure. Aside from that, I don’t see my managers to ruin my day! Wish I could have more of these trainings. Haha!

If you are wondering why I don’t like seeing my managers, well, here is the story (though I think that this should be on a separate post). During my performance coaching with my immediate supervisor for our annual appraisal, I have raised my intention of leaving the project. Of course I understand that it is difficult for managers to release a resource, especially if a resource like me is hard to find for my job (that’s the truth okay!). I have stated my reasons for leaving, which were all rational. So, my supervisor has assured me that he will take my issue to our managers. On our next meeting he has assured me that our project manager has given me a go signal to leave the project. My supervisor and I agreed that I will stay until September when I have transitioned my job to a co-worker. Then a co-worker was somewhat promoted to the role that I have and I asked our human resources representative about the process of getting out of my project.

One day, our project manager approached me to schedule a meeting. I thought the meeting would be about my team since I was my team’s only supervisor that time of the day. I was wrong! The meeting was about me – my role, my performance, and my career. I wasn’t prepared for that kind of talk with him. And worse, we never got into a private space but instead we went in a room where people conduct informal meetings. There were lots of people in that room, not to mention a lot of noise. How can I get my points heard by my boss? Well, it was a public room and I don’t want people think that I am raising my voice at my manager even if I was just stressing my points (yeah, I am still an angel even if I got a tail!). Anyway, what we talked about was his plans of not letting me leave the project. He said that I will be given new roles regardless of my career objectives. I was totally devastated. And his reasons: difficult to release me since he still needs to ask permission from the client, he doesn’t know where to put me (as if that would still be his job), hard to find a replacement for me (then I deserve a better treatment!), etc. etc. His reasons were not good, and are so shallow. Well, to summarize what we have talked about, I have a dead-end career. I have felt that I am no greater than those folks who didn’t finish anything in college – no offense to them.

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Okay, done with my frustrations.

Tomorrow is a new day. I may not have the things that I want for myself today but I am not losing hope. Let me just share some messages I received on my phone that inspired me so I can inspire others as well.

"Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Every flower bud blossoms when it’s time. Every prayer is answered in God’s time."

pay day movie night

I’m a sucker for movies.

I just realized that I have been depriving myself in seeing films on the big screen. Well, since my dad had a sudden urge of getting a bigger TV and a DVD player so instead of enjoying the movies alone, I spent more time visiting some pirates so the whole family can watch.

Yesterday was a pay day. Time for a celebration! Hmmm… “Why not see a movie?” I thought. I went to my apartment, took a quick bath before hitting G4. Good thing an X was available to be with me that time. That way, I wouldn’t be going home alone after the last full show.

X was supposed to meet me up at 9pm. X and I decided to have dinner first. I came in G4 at 7.30pm… roamed around, before settling in Starbucks to wait for my “date”.

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It’s really irritating if people can’t get your name right. My name is just 4 letter with only 1 syllable - how come people in this country find my name so difficult? Duh!

X came 30 minutes early. We got our tickets for the 10.30pm showing. It was my treat so I got to decide where to dine – and I chose pasta. Chef d’Angelo is full of people, so as Sbarro… It's pay day so people are out. X craved for California maki so we found ourselves holding chopsticks at Tokyo Tokyo.

***

After dinner, we still got an hour to spend doing nothing. Doing nothing at that time meant me buying my first Timezone card to hit the arcade. Man! It has been a long time since I got the excitement of playing Tekken!

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Ouija, HP5, The Simpsons, Blind Date, Ratatouille, Vacancy were showing. I’ve x-d out Ouija and Vacancy since I wanted to have a good night of sleep. X and I have seen HP5 so that’s another x. I hate rats so no Ratatouille for me. X is scheduled to see The Simpsons on weekend. We had no other choice but to see Blind Date.

Blind Date was good. Had some kilig and teary moments. Overall, it was good. I can’t say much since I don’t criticize movies – I just watch movies for the sake of enjoying myself and nothing more.

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Ok, so now I don’t know what to blog anymore. So... time to logout.