The Best Things in Life are Free!

i’ve been a familiar face at starbucks lately. it’s not because i frequent the place nor i have an addiction to caffeine. truth be told, it pains me to gaze at the prices on the menu let alone spend P150 daily for the caffeine rush.  my hsbc card allows me to have that starbucks experience for free!

i think this is the second time that they had a promotion tied with starbucks. i was actually hoping for the sm gift cheque but i who am i to complain? lol.

i take advantage of the promotion by managing my expenses in multiples of P2,000.  relax, i never splurge and was never an impulse buyer so there’s no danger in me ending up with unnecessary spending.

my favourite by far is iced green tea latte.  i still have charge slips unclaimed to last me a week. til, my next cup!

Inspirational Sunday

“to receive something you never had,

you have to do something you never did.

and when God takes something from your grasp,

He’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands

so you can receive something better from Him.

remember, the will of God will never take you

to where His grace will not protect you.”

-         lito casual, NAIA

above is a re-post from ms. deedee siytangco’s angel thoughts column in manila bulletin printed on 13mar11..

this thought is very striking for me as it is for my younger sister who is in a roller coaster of emotions. 

i would say, hold on to your faith dearly. faith is never trivial a matter.  in fact, i find it very logical.  i mean how can you hold more when your hands are already full? how can you love when you’re full of hatred? aren’t those things too elementary for us learned people?

faith is not subjective.  it’s more the person possessing or lacking it, who is.

faith is absolute. it’s either you have it or you don’t.  it’s a choice of believing or not in something or someone of greater power capacity.

though i’m still a work-in-progress, i can dare say that i have faith in me.  huge one, in fact.

Global Friends.

my work at a foreign mission enabled me to meet colleagues and counterparts from all over the world.  i’ve been fortunate to have seen and interacted with them personally.  four of these unique individuals, i’ve been closest to and have kept in touch since 2008 (the year i met them).

they come from china, switzerland and libya.  the bond among us four grew stronger with every story, milestone and difficulty shared.  i felt i’m the closest to them when i tell them about my country, my fellowmen and my family.  the world even seemed a smaller place when you have friends all over, when you get to hear the news straight from a local and when you are given a personal recount of what’s happening around.

i felt for the hongkong nationals slained during the luneta massacre august last year.  i personally expressed my apologies to lizzy, my friend from china.  though she sees and understands things beyond what the news shows, i felt i owe her an apology as a sign of respect for her fellowmen who perished in the hands of an anguished man.

then came the political turmoil in egypt and libya.  my friend emil, has been through a lot not only for his own safety and his family’s but also in the line of his duty.  i will forever admire his dedication and fortitude to remain in libya until the repatriation of our mission’s nationals have been completed.  this took precious time away from his family, who fled to egypt days before without him.  his country of origin, egypt, was still far from political recovery and stability when the upheaval in libya erupted.  my friends and i kept a close vigil of his whereabouts and remained on our toes for any news of his flee from libya. 

my other friend, stephan from geneva was the first one who had contacted me a day after the onslaught of ondoy.  i can remember how they commiserated with my situation and the whole philippines as well.

we’ve made our promise to see one another soon.  the bond we have is as strong as the ones i have with my friends close by.  the distance between us only strengthens the faith we have in our friendship.

Unwritten

by Natasha Bedingfield

i am unwritten,
can't read my mind
i'm undefined
i'm just beginning
the pen's in my hand
ending unplanned

staring at the blank page before you
open up the dirty window
let the sun illuminate the words
that you could not find
reaching for something in the distance
so close you can almost taste it
release your innovation

feel the rain on your skin
no one else can feel it for you
only you can let it in
no one else, no one else
can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
live your life with arms wide open
today is where your book begins
the rest is still unwritten, yeah

oh, oh

i break tradition
sometimes my tries
are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah
we've been conditioned
to not make mistakes
but i can't live that way oh, oh

staring at the blank page before you
open up the dirty window
let the sun illuminate the words
that you could not find
reaching for something in the distance
so close you can almost taste it
release your inhibitions

feel the rain on your skin
no one else can feel it for you
only you can let it in
no one else, no one else
can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
live your life with arms wide open
today is where your book begins

feel the rain on your skin
no one else can feel it for you
only you can let it in
no one else, no one else
can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
live your life with arms wide open
today is where your book begins
the rest still unwritten

(gospel)
staring at the blank page before you
open up the dirty window
let the sun illuminate the words
that you could not find
reaching for something in the distance
so close you can almost taste it
release your inhibitions

feel the rain on your skin
no one else can feel it for you
only you can let it in
no one else, no one else
can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
live your life with arms wide open *****
today is where your book begins

feel the rain on your skin
no one else can feel it for you
only you can let it in
no one else, no one else
can speak the words on your lips
drench yourself in words unspoken
live your life with arms wide open *****
today is where your book begins

the rest is still unwritten

the rest is still unwritten

this has song has been most instrumental and inspirational when i was in search of my worth as a person five years back.  i believed that i was capable of anything then because i live my life as i see fit.

i’m thankful for the opportunity, wise persons and hurdles i’ve had along the way. they made my triumphs even sweeter.

Civility in the workplace

Respect

but how does one show civility towards his superiors, colleagues or subordinates?  it’s basically dealing with others in a way that shows respect and propriety.  we are expected to extend basic courtesy and kindness even to those we personally find unkind and unlikeable.

“in many instances, we should tailor-fit or customize our approach or interaction with people depending on the social setting and level of our relationship,” says mich gorrospe, a human resources expert and regional talent manager of a bpo firm.

even during heated heated arguments and disagreements or when faced with a customer complaint, civility means not losing one’s temper or raising one’s voice and sticking to the facts.  this helps an employee look beyond the anger, frustration and negativity.

in the case of unlikeable co-workers and especially if one is a member of a team whose roles are interdependent, one should not be distracted by their unlikeability but should instead focus on the goals by getting things done and preserving status quo, so to speak.  it is not necessary to be intimate and overfamiliar with their personal life of a co-worker—sincerely greeting people with a nod or smile and acknowledging it makes for every civil behaviour.  one can also consider understanding or reaching out to an unkind co-worker…

an excerpt from ms lilia borlongan-alvarez’ article published on 06feb11 in panorama