"Work hard and be kind"

I saw this quote in Facebook, and it's made me realize a lot of things (as always)...

I have never been a fan of crab mentality. I have always been the type of person who becomes happy for another person's success, because I know that another person's progress in the company means more progress for the company itself; plus the fact that I know that one day, that could be me.

I've been with IBM for 3 years now, and over the course of time, I have met some distinctly honorable people, and some people I'd rather just forget about. The latter has become a disappointment, and I am inherently surprised by the fact that some people tend to bring along their high school attitude to work.

True what they say, "growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional".

Maturity can never be dictated by age, nor does a company dictate one's work ethics. It all boils down to the person's character, and what that person chooses to do with the work given to him/her.

I had a manager once, who told me that complaining is not attractive. I kept telling myself before that I'm only human, and I do have the right to complain - I'm not Superman.

When I became a tenured employee, that's when I realized that complaining, indeed, is such an ugly thing to see. Hearing and seeing competent people rant about their work out loud (which I am guilty of at times) is kind of a turn off.  I had to see other people do it in order for me to realize that my complaining was not attractive at all. It's work - not everything about it is easy. My manager was right - you're working; it's part of your work - deal with it. We all deal with it. We all have to deal with it. It's called being employed.

In 3 years, I've come to know that being kind - not just to your bosses, but also to your fellow employees (no matter how stupid or lazy they can be at times) can bring forth amazing things. Having this sense of understanding towards your peers can go a long way, and can harvest maturity and growth, without you realizing it. Telling one's self that others are also in pain, or are going through something even when they don't show it, can help us be more kind towards others, especially to those whom we don't look up to, or to those that we even dislike.

Lastly, being kind to our work itself, will make us appreciate that being employed is better than nothing. Here's to the jobs that pay the rent, put food on our table, and allow us to enjoy our frappuccinos, Sereniteas, and Happy Lemons. Here's to the jobs that let us watch the Avengers twice, and buy the clothes we've been dying to have since we saw them on display.

To work hard and be kind -- it's not easy; but it is doable, should we put our minds and hearts into it.

Try it. It could do you some good, and it could even put a smile on someone's face without you knowing it.

Your bid could save a life

I spoke to my kabarkada, Kim Castillo, about a fashion show for a cause. She, together with Hiyasmin Neri of Bagellia Filipinas, will be hosting a fashion show for the #aidforjoyce campaign this coming May 30th.

The details are as follows:

Come join us in our event: "Fashion and Compassion!"

A fundraising bag auction for aid for Joyce and the Bagellia Filipinas launch
**Message us for guaranteed seats and table**

In partnership with:
Scarlet Lounge
Click Productions
Edifice Studios
Prima Stella Talent Management
Slate Planner
Moon Leaf Don Antonio
Soul Flower
Strip It!
Le Faerie Cosmetics
Green Rides
Versatile

Special thanks to:
Das shoes
Dear Kate

Your bid could save one's life!

Photography by Ej Luis Alonso
Styling by Hiyasmin Neri
Studio Location at Edifice Studio
Models: Caroline Rüegg, Theresa Jose, Hiyasmin Neri

Clothes by Dear Kate and Versatile
Shoes by DAS (warning: these shoes can kill!)

 

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Background of this is, Joyce is around our age, and is terminally ill, due to a condition called Biliary atresia. She needs P12 million for an operation that could save her. I'm sure we all know the value of life, in one way or another. Hope you could support this cause if you have the time :)

 

 

Mom Tip # 1:

Do what you can while your baby is asleep.

To all my fellow first-time mommies out there, if there's one thing I've learned in 2 months, it's when your baby's asleep when you can actually do the following:

- sleep
- cook
- sleep
- do household chores such as: cleaning and/or doing the laundry
- SLEEP
- take a bath
- have your alone time
- in my case, I get to write

Sometimes though, I find it hard to move around and function, because there are times when I actually enjoy watching my daughter sleep. I know, I know... I should be resting instead of writing or cleaning or cooking, but while I still do not have hired help, it's when she's asleep that I actually get my "alone time" and I get to go online and blog and just be a normal human being for a couple of minutes, until she fidgets and clamors for breastfeeding time.

Her sleeping schedule gets better in due time of course (thank God for that). Her usual 2-hour sleep schedule has now turned to at least 4 to 6 hours, which has become heavenly for both me and my husband. It's just the first few weeks after your baby's born when the ultimate "puyatan" sessions happen.

If there's one thing I realized over the course of time is... moms really do have the knack of getting things done, even though we don't have enough energy anymore.

I salute all the moms out there, especially the first time moms! If you have any questions or other tips for that matter, please, don't hesitate to leave a comment after reading this.

Ciao! Off to more Facebooking for me while both my babies are asleep - Lance and Laela, heehee.

Tact vs. Truth

I find that there will always be a fine line between being tactless and being truthful.

While I've always been a fan of telling things as it is, and not sugar coating anything, sometimes, being tactful is still the way to go.

Being blunt has its limits. Not everything in your head should be voiced out and translated into solid. cold. hard. words. People have feelings too, and mind you, what you think is not always the truth. Sure, we are all entitled to our opinion -- after all, the Philippines is democracy personified; however, there really are some things that should be left unsaid.

Especially when you're only my dad's sister, and the fact that we haven't seen you in years.

or when you're only my dad's first cousin, whose existence only became known to us....YESTERDAY.

And being waaaaaaaaaaaaay older than me, still does not merit you the license to be so blunt about...well, some things that should not be blunt about.

First

I haven't written a blog entry...in the longest time. I guess I didn't have the luxury of time anymore, knowing that I have more responsibilities on my shoulders.

I could never get how women do it -- how to be a great wife, a model employee, and a responsible mother, while still keeping at least 90% of their sanity in tact. I'm still on maternity leave, but the pressure of coming back to work, and taking care of my husband and my daughter, is slowly taking its toll. I have to make sure that our house is clean, that I get to take care of Laela, our daughter, AND I have to make sure I get to cook so we can have something to eat.

Yes, I know, it's so easy for me to get a maid so I don't have to do pretty much everything, but the thing is, it's not that easy to get someone you can trust, most especially that we're new in this area, not to mention, our street is full of ... "people watchers" AKA mga tambay sa barber shop, karinderya, at vulcanizing shop. Imagine our paranoia, especially when we have to leave our baby alone, should we get a helper.

Mahirap na ang panahon ngayon. Mahirap magtiwala.

And plus, having a maid will entail additional cost. Every time you go out, alanganamang iwan mo sa bahay ang maid, at hindi mo pakainin... having a baby already incurs additional expenses...what more a maid -- a full-grown human being?

Anyway.

I have roughly 2 weeks left in my leave, and I'll be coming back to work on the 1st of June. Mind you, I've been transferred to a different team, which means, I'd have to learn new processes once more. The thing is, I like change, and I like being challenged. I just hope I can live up to peoples' expectations, especially MY OWN.

Lastly.

Miracle how I was able to cook today. Thank God for Laela's basket, I was able to put her down for a bit, and deep fry them wings for my husband. In all fairness, and thanks to McCormick, my husband loved them :D