***tsk tsk tsk***
...kung ako nlang si Elmo (nyehehe)...
johnmayer.com
So much has changed since I received my diploma and took on the role of a young professional (awkward as it sounds). I graduated two years behind schedule but the delay and its trappings were all worth it. Well, almost all were worth remembering.
A year ago today I was walking along Hibbard Avenue all the way from my dorm in Bantayan to blog about how simply and quietly I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I had just graduated from the college of comfort zones and long-term friendships, so the effects of unemployment had not yet trickled down to where it would then settle several months later.
I spent the summer of 2008 in Dumzville reading countless books, watching movie after movie, and sleeping like a sloth on a clear sunny day when I could've stayed outdoors to enjoy the last of Dumaguete landscape. Back then I was set on leaving town and moving on to the next city to start over. I was afraid I'd grow to hate the place if I stayed longer than I ought to. So I packed my things, sold my treasures, and migrated to Cebu.
June came and as the student populace compared each other's schedules, I was deep in my ears in newspapers and wanted ads, of print outs of edited and re-edited resumes. I was living the life of a hermit not because I was a natural born loser but because my funds were running low. My sponsor (a.k.a. my father) was cutting off my supply of financial oxygen so I had no choice but to hold my breath a little longer.
After quite a million job interviews, unfavorable job offers, and a call center experience that only lasted for five days, I landed a job at Robinsons Land's Housing Division in Cebu. They probably needed someone cheap to deal with government officials so here I am, a freakin' Business Development Specialist, hired despite my inexperience. But before I was able to jump for joy for being so damn lucky, I realized that my boss was not the approachable angel I first thought she was. Simply put, everyone tiptoes in her presence because she just wasn't the nicest of individuals.
Almost seven months on the job and I'm still learning, hoping to be able to master the rigors of government interactions and the art of compromising. I've gained new friends and acquaintances, learned the need to let loose in order to stay sane, and realized the importance of "just chilling". I've shared laughs and shed tears, swallowed my pride and choked back on missing too much.
A year ago today I was happily celebrating the end of term papers and school reports. I was twenty-three years old and getting ready for employment. I wonder what changed, apart from my having a job and living in a city more expensive that the ones I was used to. I still have my dreams but I guess they're more realistic now and are more reachable than when I first drew them in my head.
Anyway, I fear that this has become too emo to handle and this isn't how I want my birthday blog to sound like. Hopefully though, by next year, I'd be writing about how happily I've immersed myself in the arts and freely traveling to the paradise of my dreams.
Of all things bright and beautiful, the beach is probably the best of God's creation. No offense to those who'd rather stay cozy in isolated cabins up in the mountains but to pass an opportunity to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea is almost unforgivable. The same thought crossed my mind as I clambered out of bed one Sunday morning, dazed and undecided, to get ready for a hastily organized company escapade to Karancho Beach Resort.
I didn't know what to expect of Karancho, a tourist haven in Maribago, Mactan known for its affordable entrance fees (P50/head) and its close proximity to famous resorts and tourist destinations such as the Cebu White Sands and Maribago Blue Water resorts.
We left for our destination at around ten in the morning, went through the usual traffic jam typical of small Mactan roads, and after a short 20-minute ride from the Cebu City proper, we arrived at a resort that took pride in offering the simplest form of rest and relaxation, and total diversion from anything that spells 'work'.
Having no idea what Karancho Beach Resort looked like, I was impressed by its ample car park in addition to its well-maintained resort area. There was enough space for a game of catch, acceptable rest rooms and shower areas, and just the right number of amenities for a simple get-away. A number of cottages that could accomodate small families of four to huge groups of twenty stood facing the beach and all that have become part of it - the sunkissed white sand beach spacious enough for volleyball competitions, the neighboring resorts, and Cebu's main island serving as nature's backdrop.
Locals offering a variety of merchandise for sale from varnished shells to grilled fish to services like boat rides that range from an unbelievable P20 per head to a still affordable P 3,500 per hour were not uncommon. As Karancho also served as jump-off point of tourists to nearby islets, let it not be a surprise for first timers to encounter foreigners manuevering jet skis or island hopping aboard one of the more expensive boats - and even yatchs.
Our experience was made rewarding by the simple feast of grilled fish courtesy of the locals, and the P20 after-lunch boat ride that was as good as a tour of the Maribago area. While most of the group chose to remain lounging at the cottage, ten of us braved the currents and [too excitedly] hopped aboard the outrigger boats that took us for a swim off Blue Water territory where the water was a deeper, cooler, and clearer shade of teal. With the trusty life jackets we each took turns wearing and our rusty freestyle strokes, we spent approximately an hour enjoying the coolness of the water in the blistering afternoon heat and swaying with the rhythm of the changing currents.
When it was time to go back, I felt the weekend give way to a reality of deadlines and paperworks. Come Monday, we'd be reunited with our office tables once again where we sweat and toil and dribble responsibilities. Only this time, we'll have that one Sunday to look back on - one weekend that made a whole lot of difference out of sand drawings and water splashes, and boat rides and sumptuous lunches. Not to mention, fresh sunburns and gorgeous tan lines=)
Something I wanna sing before the birthday chorus rings
0 wishes and swishes There's no escaping Krawi at 6:19 AM
Look at me
I'm twenty three
Beautiful a sight to see
Tonight
A little dress to draw the press
And I'll be leaving
All the rest behind
Well be pleased girl
If this is what you wanted
The whole world is watching you take the stage
What will you say
Aren't I lovely
And do you want me cause
I am hungry for something that will
make me real
Can you see me and
Do you love me cause
I am desperately searching for something
Real
I find this really entertaining...
Iba talaga pag-PIXAR *applause*
What's with government employees and chewing gum? And after lunch make-ups? And that unmistakable mug of hot coffee adorning their tables? Those bejeweled fat ladies and balding gentlemen are probably the reason why our system is slugging, dropping down to nothing but a society of reactive individuals - unable to make decisions, incapable of even creating visions. Of course, not all government offices reek of corruption and indifference. There are those that definitely smell of success and deserve a warm round of applause.
But then I can't help but wonder why it's so hard and yet so easy to deal with people seated in outdated government posts. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the various offices at any city hall was the hustle and bustle of the mini kingdoms dominated by kings and queens of their own tables. The high king (or queen) is of course the one who lords over the department - the one who does nothing but sign and never gets anything but the fattest share of the banquet. I wonder how he (or she) could be indifferent to the wasting sight of his (her) territory - to the merchandise dealers hopping from one table to another during office hours, to his people's unsightly dress codes and poor customer relations (need I mention the chewing gum?).
I befriended a motherly civil servant and was glad it eventually took effect on the documents that needed processing. Asking favor from strangers was never fun but then again it gets the job done, not to mention another space filled out in your address book. I can't really say my friend, who was referred to me by my boss, isn't exactly like the others in her office but then again I couldn't have done half of the tasks I've accomplished without her.
Reasons to delay transactions overflow in any divine city hall like oil in the Saudis, with hung up systems, absent bosses, assistants on-leave, and more often than not, incomplete requirements topping the list. Why is it that despite our leaders' so-called efforts in promoting e-government and e-governance our gallant public servants are still contesting over who uses the most high-tech Windows 98 first?
Last week at the Lapu-lapu City Hall, I was waiting for one officer to hand me a certified true copy of an important document when she came up to me empty handed and told me to come back at 3 in the afternoon because their system was down. My watch at the time of rejection read 10:30 am! Shocked and on the verge of breakdown, I attempted to pull a puss-in-boots look and pleaded with all my pride, all the while praying that the officer [chewing her nth gum] could have it ready before lunch. She promised to have it by 1 pm but I still got the documents at 2:30. (Freaking sigh.......)
On the same day, an issuing officer at a BIR office snapped at me for persistently asking her to allow me to pay the certification fee related to title transfer even without the documents. She was more than pissed at me for interrupting her "work" as her face which was already bundled in concentration contorted in semi-rage and she matter-of-factly ordered me to comply with the other requirements first, among other things, then ending her tongue-lashing with a mean "Bye!".
At this point, I'm slowly absorbing the sad fact that in my line of work, I needed to prep up for the most trifle conversations which, if I want to excel, must be acted out as the most meaningful, most insightful one I'm going to have all day. Even those I've befriended in the government suggested that I make friends in every department fast, else I say goodbye to my transactions . By making friends they mean caressing them with gifts and money (yup, these go separately) and offer the greatest (and most unnecessary) form of flattery. Nurturing newly formed relationships is also important as when we meet them again, it's surprising how fast they forget us. There are those who genuinely want to help but there'll be those who will treat us like commoners next to their royal status.
I find it ironic that we, our colleagues, and the company for whom we're transacting documents for are paying these people to treat us like mud in their precious oasis. The taxes we're paying are their milk and honey, but do we hear a word of thanks?
Sometimes, yes. But then again. It will take eons before our government is reshaped into a paragon of virtue. Giving has become a tradition, but with the under-the-table concept being phased out and replaced by upfront bribery. It's gifts in exchange of relationships and it's what I'm supposedly trying to master. I'm getting used to it but then I'm praying I'll have enough morality left in me to be able to emerge out of this stink hole people call tradition.
Much is to be included in our company Christmas greeting, but eager as I was to include tiny tidbits of what really goes on inside our office (I mean the bloopers of course), the shorter more hastened version of the message had been passed on to the higher echelons of Robinsons Land.
So I dedicate this longer and more personal tribute to the company that has oh-so-miraculously hired me, hoping that even in this silent corner in cyberspace the moment of thanksgiving is spread.
The season of gifts and cheers has finally arrived and as the world makes way for this joyous occasion, the upbeat combination of HLDD and RBD Cebu is already one step ahead in the festivities. We bring good tidings to our colleagues from the equally proactive divisions of RLC and to our affiliates who have supported us all the way. With many thanks we offer nothing but praises for a year’s worth of exceeding expectations and surpassing the standards.
Team
We’ve come and seen and conquered surprising tasks and spur-of-the-moment dilemmas with unfailing initiative and serious multitasking (with a little belly dancing on the job). Whether grinning or gritting and smiling or sulking, at the end of each work day we know we are celebrating life by what our projects stand for:
“Every day is a holiday (AmiSa) in marketing a nature-endowed residential resort community (Blue Coast Residences) and living where the best of both worlds meet (
To our fellow RLCians, we wish you a memorable Christmas and a blessed New Year! And as we toast to the memories of old, we look forward to another round of exciting challenges in the Queen City
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