work – JO and Behold

As I reflect on myself and my current situation at work, where I deal with people in their early to middle 20’s, I have come to see the differences of maturity. Most of them are inexperienced, when I say that, I mean by work experiences. I have been working since I was 20 years old. This is the age I officially became an employee. I had worked before reaching 20 of course, although not full time, it greatly helped me financially. I had my share of putting up with people just to have some cash. When I first started working, I accepted a scholarship to proceed to graduate school. It was a very generous offer, one I could not refuse. So I balanced working full-time while studying on a nine-unit course per semester in graduate school for the first time.

Although I am not yet in my thirties, good thing I still have a few more years to get there. I have learned many things in the professional world. It is true that when you start working early, everything you’ve learned will get shoved at your head. You will learn a few tricks along the years (yes, good and bad tricks!). You will learn to improvise and assess from situations you have encountered. You will have your ups and downs and eventually cope up. To get me with day to day, I typically reflect on good books, blogs and inspirational people and I have come across Paulo Coelho’s blog. He presented 25 important points in life on his September 2014 post. So with this, as I reopen my blog for a comeback since my long year hiatus, I would like to share each points together with my own personal insights. Reflecting not just on work but also in life itself. I will take these points one by one and at random since Coelho also never mentioned an order for it.

So the first point I am going to share is quite related to my opening is this;

Every experience, either good or bad, comes with a lesson.
“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.” –Paulo Coelho, paulocoelhoblog; September 3, 2014

This point may sound a cliché to some but it is very true to its words. Difficult situations happen to people — whether you are considered a good person or not. It may be an ironic situation to some, like finding out you have lung cancer when you do not drink or even lit a cigarette. Another circumstance would be the classic ‘having stood up’ on your wedding day.

These moments allow you to reassess your life. It definitely hurts, make you angry and you probably think you do not deserve it or if you are that pessimistic you might think that God is punishing you. There are reasons for everything that happens to you – to us. You might not see it immediately; not until you fully accept the situation you are in.

Take for example the job I had about 8 years ago. I never expected to like it or even enjoy it. It was just a convenient job for me. I have become to love it and also the people that comes with it. I had to let it go because they had to let me go too due to technicalities at human resources. I feel so bad, why it happened to me. I had to leave the work immediately and the co-workers I love to work with. Every day not working felt like withdrawals from substance abuse. I felt so angry and not treated fairly; why they had to let me go and that I had to let go. But then it made me realize that losing that job was sort of a blessing. I can solely focus on graduate school – allowed me the chance to excel. I got to know more about my classmates whom are very awesome by the way and are now my very good friends. Turns out it was a good break. After that I found a job that fairly suited a balance of working full time while doing graduate school and got a very supportive boss too.

The key is only when you have understood and accepted it, then comes the learning from it. Of course you have to take in the process. Honor your emotions. Take each step slowly, one at a time and always remember that time is your ally.

This is just 1 of 25, next points will be on the next entry!

🙂

It has been years since I have danced in front of many people. The kind of formal dancing where you’ve been watched in a stage by a crowd of expectants. I remember it well I was in high school since my last formal dance. In college there were just play-ground demonstrations and physical education dance exams—which is the non-formal dance just for the grades thing.

So back in high school I was a part of dance group with which is very famous in the public sector who usually does cultural dances in government schools and programs. It has a very culturally unique name under the roof of also a famous school (well at least in the public sector). I don’t really know how I got to be part of it, all I know is that I gave up being a girl scout because being part of the group brings me an advantage in going to college.

Being a part of the group was not easy. I had to cope up with the culture of my fellow dancers which was very different with what I was brought up. It was during that time that the gay-lingo was flourishing. I learned that too, just to keep up. But back then I was not the person with the very strong personality like I have now (yes, experience is still the best teacher! ) During that time, I consider myself an underdog, for I am not a natural dancer. I had to learn everything. Usually when the group recruits dancers its not mostly because he or she is good in dancing but of how they think he or she would look like in the stage. Yes, it is the usual stereotyping in physical attractiveness. But it doesn’t mean they do favor you and give you all the nicest dances for you to perform. Dancing is still an art and the best dances would always be given to the best-est dancers. Well for me, I usually get not some of the nicest but I already consider it a favorable one.

What I like being a part of the group is that I get to places and dance in crowds of famous people. And now after years since high school, I get to dance again. It’s a completion in the company I am affiliated with, which I joined in last January 2012. I usually dance by myself at home. This one is tough because aside from dancing with other people (officemates/company mates) my former dance troupe fellow was one of our choreographers. I hate to say this but his concepts are much alike with the steps we had back then. Although he was one of the people I had to cope up with but when it comes to dancing, he doesn’t get to choose his dances too. It was nice to catch up with Eda again after years.

The dance was pretty challenging because the theme was Disney and our group was given ‘Aladdin’ to portray. Another challenge is that a year ago 2011, the Admin group, the group I belong to was the champion.

I am so proud to say that we won the grand prize 200k php! haha 🙂

Because we believe in fairytales!!

So here’s a glimpse of ‘Magical Disney’ (December 15, 2012).