Watch me

Need I say more? >>  Watch and learn. You can never question our POWER to BELIEVE.

 We’ll see what happens this Thursday Saturday…..

My Klownz experience

Instead of the usual family dinner treat for my new position, my mom thought of using the money to laugh and be entertained last Saturday. This was a welcomed idea for me since I just came from the ‘promotes treat’ of our team in Dencios the day before. For the longest time, my mom thought of checking out what this comedy bar called ‘Klownz’ in Quezon Avenue was all about. We were all about to find out.

Oh my, it was really a treat, even for me! I was laughing from 9pm to 2am and my jaws were a bit sore when we got home. This bar offers the whole nine yards of entertainment – there was singing, dancing, and of course stand-up comedy. And when it comes to stand-up comedy, gay people are usually the funniest. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because they tell it as it is and they throw in the open what most people are usually too afraid to say. They also have these imaginative ideas that would really make you think of hilarious thoughts. Also, they’re not funny in a ’smiling’ kind of way. They are funny in a ‘laughing-with-tears-in-the-eyes-and-an-aching-diaphragm’ kind of way. That is why we didn’t notice the time because we were too entertained.

I guess the only downsize to this kind of entertainment is that the jokes are mostly green. The green is not light green but hard core green. Somebody who was never exposed to this kind of humor might feel quite uncomfortable but will surely loosen up in the end. Also, when you enter into this kind of places, you have to be ready to be lightly humiliated so you have to leave your pride at the door step. You have to know how to make light of yourself.

So there! That was the gist of my Klownz experience. It was something different and new for me. Now, I have another option for a place to go when I feel much stressed and down. Hehehe.

Sean’s 1st Birthday

Last Sunday was the 1st birthday of my cousin’s son, Sean, who also happens to be my ‘inaanak.’ He had his birthday party in Pampanga in the Officers’ Club of the Air Base. This is one event that I cannot allow myself to miss. First because he’s my ‘inaanak.’ Second because it is his first birthday (they say the most important birthdays to attend are the 1st and the 7th). Lastly and most importantly is that I haven’t been going to Pampanga (mother side) for the longest time. My weekends have been so preoccupied with a lot of activities in the past months that I couldn’t even make time to visit my relatives who are just 1.5 hours away. So I blocked off my Sunday and made some arrangements with Allan about our lower household that day.

Anyway, the party was fun. Kiddie fun. There was were clowns, games for adults and kids, magic shows, gift opening, lots of picture taking and great food. I have been bloated that weekend and the food that the caterer served only added to that. Hehe. After the party and after most of the guest left, the clan stayed to have videoke session. My tito’s friend heated things up with his 93s and 95s that challenged most of my relatives. The next thing you know, the queue of songs was long and was enough to last us for the night. There were the ultimate ballad songs, the diva presentations and of course the dance songs. I believe the last 4 or 5 songs were dance songs and all my titas danced to it with swing or cha-cha or LA walk and other ballroom steps. Naturally, they involved us, the younger generation. Oh that was fun! I know the usual idea that family events are boring and routine but this one was a bit different for me. It’s not so much the events that happened but more so the feeling that I got… it’s a feeling of closeness and of bonding… that in the end, whatever life throws at you and wherever life may lead you, however long your journey is, you always go back to family. And imperfect as they are, they will always be there to welcome you home – no questions asked. That however successful you are in your career or in your personal life, and that maybe your salary now is way bigger than most of them, and that you probably know more academic facts and figures from your education… but to them, you are still that little boy, who they used to carry going to the park and give 25 cents to for buying something in the sari-sari store. Sometimes we hate that kind of treatment but in this instance, I treasured it. Maybe because now I know that the little boy is still there and actually never left. He just had a bigger playground…..

One Fine Day

Saturday was one fine day… From the SAGIP session, to the supposedly-Kitchen-but-turned-out-to-be-Super-Bowl treat, to the three pairs of shoes purchase experience, to the Art Gallery viewing, to the fun ride going back to my place, to the ride going to MMLA, to the MMLA experience, and to the Fazoli chapter fellowship, you were there…..

“My world is a better place because of you.”

Thank God It’s Friday

It’s a pay day Friday! This means longer ATM lines, more traffic in Ayala Avenue and more jam-packed restos and gimmick hot spots. It’s also the first time all the people in the office are getting their adjusted salaries. I think almost everybody in the company is getting some increase this year. Alright!

Thank God It’s Friday or TGIF is also the place where we had yet another IC lunch. Jona opted to stay in the office because she wasn’t feeling well and her eyes were so red that it’s bordering on being quite scary. OK, she was excused this time. It was just me, Nick, Lui and Chris. The lunch was great but the conversations were even greater. As Nick observed, the IC group seem to have been rejuvenated. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Bwehehe. From the start of this fiscal year, everything is not as it was – Chris is rolled off into another team in another floor, Lui is still on a separate team, although Nick and I are in the same team, we are not working together anymore since I moved to Testing and he stayed in Development, and lastly, although Jona and I are both in the same Test team, we hardly have a chance to socialize because of the aggressive deadlines that we have in the team. We are just glued to our monitors minding our own businesses and trying to catch up with all our deliverables almost the whole day. Given all these, I think that it only becomes natural for us to be happy to see each other on a break. People become more open, stories become more animated and opinions become more honest. Hihihi. I think we are in a better place to maintain what we have. No more whatevers…. Hhhmmm…

Oh, and whose turn was it? Nick and I. Due to some changes in position. Hehe.
Thanks TA and Nick!
Next stop, Lui’s birthday bash!

Hard Rockin’ Meeting

Nothing beats unexpected fun. Yesterday, my mother project (sort of like a division in a corporation or a department in a small company) held its last townhall meeting for the fiscal year (it’s like a general assembly). We are the biggest arm here in Accenture (around 700 people) and I didn’t expect that Hard Rock Cafe here in Glorietta could accommodate us. But we actually fit; quite comfortably at that. They started admitting people at 2pm and the first 80 people to arrive get the best seats. You see this one of the things I like about Accenture – you are actually required to leave earlier on times like these. It’s like they pay you to stop working, go to Hard Rock and eat food there. Hehe.

Anyway, the first part of the townhall was all work-related: updates on these, updates on that, what we did right, what we can improve on, what’s cooking for the next fiscal year etc. I’d say that I didn’t really get much information from the updates not so much because there’s nothing in it but because I’ve read most of the email circulations that pertains to those updates. The one thing I can say that I got a lot of was food. Mirienda was buffet style. Yahoo!

After the work-related updates comes the more alive part. For this townhall, the organizers decided to have a sort of Philippine Idol competition. At first I thought that it was going to be quite dragging and bland since I didn’t think that there would be a lot of real talents there. I planned on going home earlier since technically we can opt not to watch the presentation since it was already 5:30pm. But on the first singer alone, I became glued to my seat. There were nine contestants and all of them were at a minimum, say above average. The competition was stiff and the crowd was wild. Oh my, we were so noisy that one can actually hear all our screams and shouts of support even outside the venue. We were a great crowd to these awesome contestants.

After all nine finished their song numbers and critique from the judges, they were narrowed down to 3 finalists. The choices were right on the mark. I couldn’t remember all their names but I remember that they were the three best performances. The three guys sang again for the final showdown. Oh my, what talent. It was like watching pros on stage. I guess for most of them, it was a fantastic being there. I mean just to be able to perform at Hard Rock on a jam-packed and appreciative crowd is cool enough. After the performances, Spongecola and Sandwich performed for us. Two words: superb and kickass. Hehe. Oh, and did I mention that Chico and Delamar hosted the show?! Hehe. Dinner was also buffet. It was an electromagnetic blast!

And the best thing about it is that all the proceeds of the text votes for the Idol contestants go to Gawad Kalinga! Hehe. Rock on!

Joseph the Dreamer

It’s funny how a seemingly harmless story for kids can move us and affect us with its message. I’ve always heard of the phrase ‘Joseph the Dreamer’ but didn’t really know what it was about. Last Saturday changed that.

My GG and I went to see this stage play produced by Trumpets called ‘Joseph the Dreamer’ I didn’t know most of the cast except for Franco Laurel (as Joseph) and another batch mate from High School who used to be part of Kundirana (sorry, I forgot his name.) The stage was arranged quite simply and the costumes were appropriate. But it was the presentation, the story and the message that was amazing.

Basically, the story is about the youngest son, Joseph, who was envied by all of his brothers because he appeared to be the favorite of their father. They plotted against him and ganged on him then eventually sold him as a slave. After that, Joseph experienced a lot of hardships, heartaches, abuses and pains in his life. But through it all, he has kept his faith. He believed that God had great plans for him and that His love was greater than any trials that may come his way. In effect, he surrendered his life to be used by Him and Joseph was able to influence other people and improve their lives along the way. When the time came that he was face to face with all of his brothers, who by then were all suffering from famine, he took the higher road by still finding in him the heart to forgive all of them even if it pained him. Wow!

We were seated at the second row in front of the stage so we could really see and feel all the emotions coming from the actors. Oh my golly, I was so moved by the play that I was in constant battle to hold back my tears. It was not so much because I believe that boys don’t cry (SFC changed that for me), it was more because crying is messy. Your eyes get red, your face gets wet and mucus starts to drip from your nose. Ewww. Hahaha. Seriously now, I thought that if only my friends are able to see this, then I’m sure that all of them will also be moved by the play. In my stay in the community, I knew a lot of brothers and sisters who are undergoing a lot of things: unanswered prayers, questioning His will, beaten by trials, defeated by temptations and many more. This play was a clear reminder for me that at the end of everything, it will be His will that should and will be done. No matter how much we try to control things, we have to realize that we are not the ultimate boss of our lives. We have our lives as a gift so it’s up to us to give back the glory to Him. Enough said. I just assure you that the experience was great.

Just remember guys, as the play continuously reiterates, that no matter what happens, never look down… always look up!

Starting from scratch

A lot has been happening lately with my career and the team that I belong to in Accenture. Last Wednesday, the portals group just had its yearend party at the Essensa Tower at The Fort. It was also my final stint as on organizer in those kinds of events. The thing about this party was that it was not your usual company party where people actually have it just because there’s a budget or just so the team can eat and drink. This yearend party really meant the end for most us. From a total number of around 90 people, our group will be trimmed down to 50 this coming fiscal year (starts September 1). That means that almost half of the team will be rolled-off/assigned to different projects. The remaining 50 will be ‘reshuffled’ and assigned to different teams within the group.

This is a BIG change for all of us. For most people, including myself, the team that was their comfort zone and where they were good at will cease to exist. A lot of friends that makes my stay in this company feel a little bit like home will be gone to work in other floors or buildings. The knowledge and expertise that I hold that helped past releases to become successful will just be documented and transitioned to other people. In short, I am left with…. well nothing… just experiences probably…..

Added to this, I was informed weeks earlier that I will be part of the Operations team only to find out at the very first day of the fiscal that I have been moved to another team. And the move was drastic. I will not be part of the development team anymore since all the slots are filled. I will be part of QA/Testing team. Say what?!?! I am a hard core programmer suddenly thrown to a testing role! Wow! What a change. Now that made me think… a lot…..

But then I realized something: I have been part of this group for more than three years now. I’ve been through two solid years of all-around Operations experience, 4 major application releases, and considerable involvement in project planning, analysis, design, build, deployment and support. I’ve been with this team from the time that there were only 8 of us working to about the time that we increased to 80 resources. And through it all, I was OK. I do not only survive changes, I thrive in them! And this one should not be an exception. With a new title comes a new role in a new team on a new fiscal year. This is another opportunity for me to learn something new, be exposed to a different work function, contribute more to the team and step up to the challenge. I know I need a lot of catching up to do especially when I assume the Testing Lead role but I am not afraid. I’m actually more excited. It’s like going to the first day of your first job after graduating from college. It’s quite unnerving but more so exciting. Besides, I should be coming back to my Development roots on my second team after this application release effort gets deployed.

So for all the many new things that lie ahead this fiscal year… well bring it on! As for me, well… just watch.. and learn…. hehehe…..