3.29.11 - Day 4

XMEN

a comic cartoon adaptation that i grew up with. right now, there is a new series in their universe wherein the team (xmen) never happened. charles is held captive, and the mutants are at war with humans. the mutants, or the Brotherhood of X, is cornered to one location alone. the series brings new insights on our favorite mutants, new romantic relationships, and new teams.

spent my lunch time buying the latest issues to complete my collection to 3 issues. 4th issue near its release!

AGE of X - Issues 2 and 3.

3.28.11 - Day 3

Swell Teambuilding

We, Achievers' Circle, were asked to help conduct a teambuilding for the Swell Bar and Cafe in Subic. i, along with Ed, Patchie and Kuya Rudyard went to subic. We assisted the teambuilding, and Ed gave a short talk aimed at the values that must be possessed by the staff. the location "Capones Vista, Zambales" was really nice.

(Left to Right: Ed, Francis[ME], and Patchie. Picture courtesy of kuya Rudyard)


we really enjoyed the time we spent with the Swell Staff, and we are happy that their teambuilding is a success. my only concern is that, our company, the three of us, never even had our own teambuilding!

Achievers Circle at STI Fort Bonifacio

STI Fort Bonifacio, invited our company to present a talk about Entrepreneurship and to identify the HOWS in starting a business. all of us went to STI to assist our boss, the main speaker. we went there eager and hyped for the one hour seminar, but talk about hospitality and service from them (sti), as soon as i dropped my boss in front of the school, i proceeded to their basement parking.

me: Boss (to the guard), Guests po kami ni ms. ong, mag tatalk po sa event ng students.
guard: wala po akong kilalang ms. ong, wala ng parking dito
me: one hour lang naman po ung seminar(i pleaded), (then i surveyed the surroundings and saw a lot of vacant spaces). si ms cindy ong po yung contact namin.
guard: wala , wala akong kilalang cindy, punta ka na lang sa market market at dun ka mag park!

for the information of those who are unfamiliar with the area, market market is as far as going to greenbelt from glorietta (passing thru landmark). it wasn't that far, but, we were in corporate attire and the sun was at its prime. Cindy Ong was our contact for the seminar, she was also the organizer of the event, this very calm woman that kept apologizing because of that incident.

my only problem here is that, we did not volunteer to be there, we were invited, we could have at least tasted  better service and coordination on their part. im not blaming ms ong or any admin for the matter, as we were informed when we arrived, that they did their part to inform the guards about it. my issue is with this one dude, who could have at least checked their records or could have walkie talkie'd a companion to ask.

the talk and the response/participation from the students made things better. everyone was enthusiastic about graduating and starting their careers. during the talk, everyone was at the edge of their seats, everyone was clapping from time to time, laughing, and even discussing amongst themselves when a question is thrown at them. that experience alone made up for the guard incident awhile back. made me remember my time when i was in college!

3.25.11 - Day 2

i do apologize for the late post, yesterday ended so late that i did not get a chance to write about it when i arrived home.

but after work, i, with a friend decided to watch the latest femme fatale movie that is

SUCKER PUNCH

it wasn't quite like what i hoped it would be. im an action kind of guy, that is why the trailers appealed to me in a larger level. i was even wondering how they would piece together those fighting scenes of different locations, feels, and time into one film. the trailer gave me the impression that i was going to watch a full action, sci fi film. but to my disappointment, i wasnt impressed.

sucker punch made me want to refund my money afterwards. maybe i didn't understand the concept, maybe i wasnt paying too much attention. but, never have i been wanting to leave a movie house since skyline.

Perseverance is key! a SunLife experience

i just finished attending a party/gathering/seminar of sun life agents and managers at the Edsa Shangrila.  the event was a whole new experience for me, that being in the same room with some people i usually avoid, the salesman/women!

but during the event, i learned that they love to do what they do. hardships and rejections doesnt get them down nor does it discourage them from continuing what they do everyday. i learnt that most of them gone through some tough ordeals like being shouted at - in order to leave the room, or running away from a hellhound dispatched by the owner.

but at the end of the day, they dont give up - they strive harder, and become the best in their craft. its probably the effect of the tight bond that they have established as a team, or the support that they get from their leaders, or the incentives that await their triumphs. no matter what the reason, it will boil down to what they want to do and how happy they are doing it.

lesson :  find what you want to do, love it, and motivate yourself to excel in it!

3.24.11 - Day 1

Borrowing the concept and idea from my friend (Lianne of PHP), i wanted to start an every day photo and caption type of entry.

some days ago, my boss and i were talking about a man, in his 40's, who loves saturdays. for that man, his "to-look-forward-to-day" is saturday, one day after the usual to look forward to day. this man, assuming that he would live upto a certain age, decided to count how many "saturdays" he has left. he bought marbles (jolens!) to represent a saturday, 1 marble : 1 saturday. and every saturday, this man would throw away one marble from his jar, consistently! maybe to remind him how many saturdays he has left.

that conversation actually changed my perspective of time. i realized that life is too short to be wasted on idling or bumming around. therefore, i too would like to do my own concept of the marbles, but instead of subtracting them from the jar, i would be filling the jar up with my own set of marbles!

so, Day 1 photo is

Achievers Circle Inc, Coaching and Consultancy. the place where my future starts, and the place that opened (as early as almost-three months on the job) many doors that led me to many experiences (and i hope will continue to!).

How it all started.

Carlos (protagonist) was unemployed. he recently got out of a no-brainer but very stressful work which caused serious physical (as well as emotional and mental) damage. he wanted out, and he did. he cared for his health more than the pay (which was reasonable!). For months, he stayed at home, watched tv, listened to music, and played his favorite video games (in short, he was a bum!)

if i remember correctly (based on his narration), it was Christmas season then, and the boy began doubting his capabilities. having graduated from a reputable university, he found himself stuck. Carlos then began fearing for his future, he oftentimes asked himself what would happen to him, and weird enough, his mind remained blank. (weird, cause this guy never shuts up!)

his mother told him to go abroad, he didn't want to. he got options else where, but chose to stay. "more better to feel stuck than lonely" said he. 

his persistence and lack of interest to leave actually saved him. after new year, when he was decided to steer his life to the right path. he got an opportunity that he never even dreamed of. Fearing that he might screw things up, he started fixing his life. opportunity invited, he came, got interviewed, and was considered. long story-short story he got hired as an executive assistant. at first he was skeptical. "would i need to learn how to prepare coffee?"  he asked himself. but then, he learned that being one doesn't require knowledge of these things (but comes in handy every now and then), but on deeper thoughts and insights. he told me, that he is stable and happy with what he has now. he is part of a team that deals with a lot of planning and consulting

whats the lesson here? Opportunity comes (not once in a lifetime) but scarcely. when it comes knocking and no one is there to answer, it leaves. in the story, carlos had patience (or was lazy). either way, waiting for something good was his best decision. patience is a virtue, (or so they say) but in this case, it was good that he (carlos) was!

Its all in the mind. my SUBWAY (not the train-related) STORY!

Advertisements have always played a vital role in our lives, specially when it comes to choosing what to get and/or where to get it. i despise advertisements in between tv shows or movies, i always change channel when advertisements kick in. or id rather have everything downloaded so that i wont have to be disturbed by 3 min humors and jingles that always(or most of the time) accompanies such ads.

however, i do applaud the creativity and other forms of advertising. Lately, i have been watching alot of "CHUCK", the story of a nerd/dork that somehow gets caught up in spying and secret services. this nerd, wherein most people can relate to(yeah, not only nerds and dorks), and not only him (the entire cast included) are somehow so fun to watch (hello agent sarah walker!). they spend most of their time doing missions for the cia or doing nothing at the buymore! neat huh?

recently, i have developed an insatiable hunger for subway, i have been twitting, facebook-ing alot regarding this particular sandwich. my friends were asking me, why the particular sub?

and then, i remembered that a lot of episodes in chuck featured subway sandwiches, in an indirect advertisement. an episode featuring morgan grimes (Chuck's bestfriend) eating a 12 inch mozzarella sub. or when Morgan and Casey (secret service ally of Chuck) along with Lester and Jeff (two very eccentric employees of buymore) met at subway for a conversation. or terminator sarah chronicles very own Summer Glau (Cameron) guest starred as a secret agent, indulging in her own 12 inch sub, with all the sexyness that she can muster. nuff said right?

and taaaaada......

by actually featuring something, it sends signals to the brain causing us to actually consider the product. a concept even talked about by ries and trout (authors of Positioning the Mind). i urged my officemate patchie, to actually accompany me to subway at podium to get a sandwich. and my hunger (thanks to chuck) has been satiated for the time being.

kudos to subway for being the series' official sandwich. excellent advertisement!

work = life

maybe months ago i would agree to this image, but the way i see it and experience now, work = life = home. in my mindset now, and probably from what i learned during my two months at Achievers', Work and Life must be on the same page, there must be the sense of chemistry between both in a manner that one is not forced to choose between them. the mindset must be configured in such a way that you go to work for your lifes wellness, your existence, survival, and your future. in that sense, it shouldn't be a crossroad!

"if you love your job, then you never go to work", a quote i heard over and over again, but never fully understood up until this very day.

i love what i do, hope you do too!

Traveling Dilemma

lately, news tells us of the many incidents occurring in the metro - involving motorists dying, buses exploding, and car-napping. and not to mention the every minute price hikes of gasoline!

so tell me, what then is the safest way to travel? :|

a month ago.

after the new year, i have thought that i would either be a bum for another year, or go back to oman and try my luck there. but before i could make that decision, i received a txt message informing me of an opportunity to not be lost.

after that day, things has been going great, i was given liberty to do my own systems and learn my own stuff to be the best in what i do. a new start for a new year!

up to date, i have been , in my opinion, diligently doing my part, being a laid back but firm admin for the company, and a precise and accurate executive assistant. who knows where ill be in 4-5 years if i keep this up.

Francis