Why do I bother?
Sometimes I surprise myself with the way I react to "news" that really shouldn't affect me, such as -
The Joanne Maglipon - Claudine Barretto Row
Brangelina and the arrival of their bundle of joy (yes, I'm on Team Jolie)
The Lance Armstrong - Sheryl Crow break-up
Changes to the storyline of "X3" (especially the Wolverine - Storm love angle. What's up with that?!)
"Harry Potter 5" casting news
Anything Neil Gaiman and Jeanette Winterson have to say (or write)
Of course, I was affected by what happened at the ULTRA last Saturday (don't get me started because I don't have enough space to comment on it. I'll say this much: I agree, it IS a reflection of how bad times have been). Surprisingly, I actually said "No way!" out loud when I read about Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow. Then again, Lance Armstrong is back in the market. Hmmm... (as if!).
Countdown
Next week will be my last with Watson Wyatt. I'm starting to get a wee bit sentimental what with cleaning up my workstation and email folders. I laughed out loud when I found "The Experiment" that Banana, Benjor, Dondi, Fred, Jerome, Miggy, Sobee, Tanya and I wrote. I was also "hit" by the sudden remembrance of friends who had moved on recently - I found business cards and email messages from Millette Caudal, Reyster Langit and Aimee Mercado. Their cards and messages were difficult to throw away/delete.
I found a message my Dad sent me when the Data Services Team was spun off, cut down to 3, and we were given the challenge of re-building the business:
"Read about Bill Gates. His marketing tactics are fantastic. Read 'The Godfather' to learn alliances. Read Jonathan Livingston Seagull so you can be inspired to believe in yourself. Watch 'Peter Pan' and the 'Music Man' and learn how to dream. Play 'Risk' to sharpen your convincing powers. Play "Monopoly to learn financial timing. Play poker to learn when to when to go on or learn when to "fold-up". When selling, identify who or what your "target" market is. Imagine you were the target is and think like them. Talk to them in their manner of speaking, not yours. Use simple English (Tagalog if it is more effective.when you write ads or copy. This is not a literary contest). Know and believe in your product. Have fun!"
It is among the few true words of wisdom that I have have ever received from him.
I found an email exchange from 2002 when those "How Well Do You Know Me?" surveys were making the rounds. Some of my surprising (and not-so-surprising) answers were:
1. Ever been so drunk you blacked out: About 6 years ago in my house when we (Miggy, Malou, Cha, Yeyette, Marge, Joy, Led, Jerome, Nanette & I) were still the “kids” and I woke up because Jerome’s Mom called at 6:30AM.
12. How much do you love your job: Well, I haven't bothered looking for another one, so it's great & I'm doing well. [Note: Who'd have thought I'd change my mind in 2005?]
20. Been in a car accident: Thrice. All not my fault, although the first 2 happened when my friend was driving my car (and it was the same friend!).
26. Favourite word or phrase: "Dehin!"
37. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? If it’s a Tuesday or Thursday, “Sana may court mamaya.” Sometimes it’s, “Is Leo hitching today?” (I forgot her kasi once) On Sundays, “Is he dead yet?”
44. Most annoying thing people ask me: "What is the 'median'?" and "So, anong gagawin ko sa data na 'to?" (to which I'd love to answer, but haven't, "Eh ikaw ang humingi 'nun. Bakit mo pa ba inorder sa akin?"
54. Current motto: Bahala na si Batman.
It will be hard to part with my office-issued laptop and "hockey puck" (parking transponder). I've also started to say goodbye to some of my clients, especially those I've known since I was a green Compensation and Benefits Assistant. I've also bid the Starbucks baristas at The Enterprise Centre a fond farewell. I attended my last Data Services Update meeting yesterday, and it turned into a send-off
mirienda at The Old Swiss Inn with 2 kinds of chocolate fondue and a cheese fondue (sinful!). We also had cocktails with clients at the Shangri-La Hotel Makati to say goodbye to our current Managing Director (he's moving to Canada) and one of our Directors from the Benefits Team (she was assigned to our Chicago office). My last Project Managers meeting and my last client meeting will be on Monday. I'll attend my last Human Capital Group meeting on Tuesday morning.
I'm going to miss so much about Watson Wyatt, but I'm really excited about the change. It's a new year (Chinese and "Western"), I have a new job, and I will live a new life. Cheers!
Making the Rounds
There is a rather long email that has been making the rounds lately. I sincerely hope that everyone who receives it takes the time to read and understand it. The email's subject heading is "A Filipino of Faith" and focuses on the goodness of one Alexander Ledesma Lacson.
This is an excerpt from one of my favorite writers, Max V. Soliven, in his daily column
By the Way in the Philippine Star on 19 December 2005:
"Alexander Ledesma Lacson, it turned out, modest as he was in bearing, was a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law, 1996, and took up graduate studies at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass. (Good old Harvard Yard, by gosh). His wife, Pia Pena it turned out even more amazingly is the daughter of an old friend, Teddy Pena from Palawan! ! She, too, is a lawyer U.P. 1993 a legal counsel for Citibank. They established a foundation together to help underprivileged children through school, and are now subsidizing 27 young scholars in different public schools in Alex's native Negros Occidental.
"The reason Alex had been headed for Wack-Wack was the fact that the officers and employees of a company named Resins Inc., after buying 1,000 copies of his book had invited him to give the 'homily' at their Christmas party. This was not a small group the company had 600 employees, waiting for his "word" that night.
"Alex, it struck me from our conversation, is an eloquent and devout Catholic. He believes God must have destined our people for some great role why, in all history, he reasoned, were we Filipinos the 'only Christian nation in Asia?' One thing is certain: He and his wife Pia practice their Christianity and live it.
"Four years ago, he and his wife ! had a serious discussion about migrating to the US or Canada because the Philippines, as a country appeared hopeless since things only got worse year after year. They wanted to know if their children (they have three, one boy and two girls) would be better off staying in our country or abroad in the next 20 years.
"Pia and Alex had asked themselves the question: 'Is there hope for the Philippines to progress in the next 20 years?'
"They reasoned: If the answer is Yes, then they would stay. If it was No, they would leave and relocate abroad while they were still young and energetic. There were long discussions. One day, the realization, Alex recalls, struck them: the answer to that question was in themselves. The country would improve, Pia and Alex finally understood, if they and every other Filipino did something about it. Leaving the Philippines was not the solution. As Lacson put it in his book: 'The answer is in us! as a people; that hope is in us as a people.'"
The following is taken from Lacson's 108 page book,
12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country (Alay Pinoy Publishing House), as it appeared in Soliven's column:
1) Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2) Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
3) Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy local Buy Filipino. (Or, if you read the book, he suggests 50-50).
4) When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively about us and our country.
5) Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
6) Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve.
7) Support your church.
8) During elections, do your solemn duty.
9) Pay your employees well.
10) Pay your taxes.
11) Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12) Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.
Short. Sweet. Simple. I hope we all learned something new today, and take action.
Jedi Killer
I used to say "When I grow up, I'm going to be a Jedi Knight." Blame it on my Dad who brought home an original Betamax (yes, Betamax!) copy of
Star Wars back when I was a kid, plus toy lightsabers, character masks, and action figures. Bianca and I watched that tape practically everyday. And when Alia was born, she was exposed to it, too. Yes, we are a
Star Wars family. The Force is strong with us.
The original
Star Wars (re-titled to
Star Wars: A New Hope in the late 70s prior to the release of
The Empire Strikes Back) was "black and white", good versus evil. It was that simple. Seeing
The Empire Strikes Back was when I realised the world was gray. And the seduction to the Dark Side began.
Mwahahahaha! As my friend Melisse once said, why does evil always look so good?
Do you remember when
A Phantom Menace came out? Don't tell me you didn't think Darth Maul was cool. And if your a die hard fan, c'mon, the coolest character next to Han Solo is bounty hunter Boba Fett! But I've always been a Jedi, a member of the Rebellion, never a Sith.
Now fast forward to 2005. I saw Cartoon Network's
Star Wars: Clone Wars by Gendy Tartakovsky (creator of
Dexter's Lab and
Samurai Jack). Forget Luke Skywalker. Forget Darth Maul. I want to be Asajj Ventress! Yeah, I know she looks like Jack the Pumpkin King from Tim Burton's
A Nightmare Before Christmas, but she's got that anime coolness about her. Gotta love Tartokovsky for that!
Over at
http://www.toonami.co.uk/shows/star_wars_clone_wars/asajj_ventress, Asajj Ventress is described as "A fierce female warrior who has trained in the ways of the Sith, Asajj Ventress is a ruthless and cunning Dark Jedi. Count Dooku discovers her on the planet Rattatak, where she is participating in brutal gladiatorial games. Eager to prove herself to Dooku, Ventress accepts his challenge to assassinate Anakin Skywalker. Like Dooku, Ventress prefers the curved-handle lightsaber, but she utilizes a deadly double-saber attack style."
You can also read more about her on
http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/asajjventress/. The cool thing I read here (for you lightsaber fanatics), is that "Asajj has perfected a lightsaber combat form that uses paired blades to strike and parry. She carried twin weapons given to her by Count Dooku, and each bears a similar archaic curved handle design favored by the former Jedi Master. Ventress' lightsaber handles are especially modified so that they can connect into a joined, S-shaped handle, becoming a double-bladed lightsaber. " A-ha!
Back in December, I went nuts looking for an Asajj Ventress action figure in Singapore. The one on the upper left is from the Star Wars Unleashed collection. She would look so cool in my work station! And in my room! But Asajj Ventress is so hard to find! She's probably the most popular "collector's item" next to Boba Fett. One day...I will find her. I will find both of them. I envy those who still have their Boba Fett action figures from the 70s and 80s, laser gun and all. ARGH!!!
Still...I'm no Jedi Killer. I don't want to disappoint the Younglings.
So Nina V., if you're reading this, kindly note that this is who I want to be for Halloween =) I just don't know if my employer will allow me to go bald.
Why Do I Do This?
Scare myself, I mean. I started watching
A Haunting on the Discovery Channel. It's a show about true accounts of paranormal activity. Good God, the opening credits were f-ing creepy! Almost scared the shit out of me. The opening credits! It wasn't even the actual show!
So, here I was, blogging, checking my work email, and watching television at the same time (yes, I have mastered the art of multi-tasking. It's a required competency at Watson Wyatt). And the story starts. And I stop watching. I start
listening to the show instead. Like any good horror flick, it's the music that kills you! AND the narration was freaky. It wasn't just going in my right ear and out the left. I somehow paid attention to every single word the narrator was saying. And when they re-enacted a poltergeist moved a drying rack full of freshly washed plates across the counter, I switched to Animal Planet. "Oh, look! Dogs! They're so cute!"
I don't know why I saw
The Ring (both the Japanese and American versions, mind you). I don't even know why I saw
The Ring 2! I even went to see
The Others and was freaked out by
The Sixth Sense. I guess sometimes, like the way some people say you need a good cry, I need a good scare. Reminds me that I'm human.
Hairless Society
I want to know who started this obsession with hairlessness. I grew up thinking that the gold hair on my arms looked cool against my evenly sunburned skin. Then High School happened. Clean, smooth, white underarms I understand (I cannot
explain why they're good, but I kind of
understand why). But it had been impressed on Filipino society that hair anywhere, especially on a woman's legs, was bad. Ok, hair on your head is another story, what with the persistent image of the "true Filipina beauty" having long, straight, shiny black hair. But I digress....
(No, really. Is this some bald man's idea of a joke? Why do women like me have to suffer to look good, i.e. white and hairless? Worse,
mestisahin. Kayumangi kaya tayo? Brown. Wide noses. A little hairy [
mas balbon nga ang tisay, eh]. What happened to personality and intelligence?)
So. "Unwanted Hair". The one that society doesn't want. Hmmmm. How do we get rid of them? Society, I mean. No, the hair.
Those creams that claim to just wash your hair out after you leave the cream on for five to 15 minutes? They're messy and they hardly work. Forget it. The easiest way to get rid of unwanted hair is to shave. And I've "discovered" that the best razor is the Gillette Mach 3 - for men. I'm not kidding. Forget the Gillette Venus for Women. I've never had a better shave than with the Gillette Mach 3. So ladies, pick one up now at your local supermarket and try it on your underarms and legs. It's sooooo smooth! Lather up with Johnson & Johnson's Milk Bath then end your skin care ritual with Body Shop's Olive Body Butter. It's the best!
Ok, so your hair will grow back thick and coarse if you shave, and you have to shave every other day. What's better than shaving? My sisters used to say "plucking", but honeys, it's bad for your skin. It makes your skin stretch. Sure, the hair grows back "finer" (more fine?) and you can go sleeveless for a week. Still...I don't want baggy pits. Plucking only works on the eyebrows - and I recommend that you pluck your eyebrows yourself AFTER having it done by a professional. Just pull out the stray hairs for maintenance. I don't think you want to pluck your legs! Or worse, your pubes!
So what's better than plucking your moustache, underarms and legs? Our local beauty parlor offers two options: threading and waxing. If you have low tolerance for pain, AVOID THREADING! I have seen grown women cry in pain while getting their eyebrows and moustaches threaded. I tried threading for the first time last Friday. OH. MY. GOD. Indian women must have a really high threshold for pain. They invented threading, and I admit that the results are amazing, but good Lord, I cannot - canNOT - take it. I have no idea how my sisters can stand it, too. They swear by threading. It's just not for me. So I get a professional wax.
Does waxing hurt? Hell, yeah! But only the first time you have it done. You actually get used to the pain. Really. And it's so cool how everything comes off in one go. Not like threading where you feel each strand coming off. Eewww. And like plucking, the hairs grow back "fine" and they don't start grow until two to three weeks after your waxing session. And eventually, your hair stops growing back ("eventually", like, after x number of years). Although I wonder how women who get a Brazilian wax can take it.
In conclusion? Dears, save yourselves the pain. Either shave for the rest of your life or save up on laser treatment. Yes, it hurts both you and your wallet to look good. Suck it up. We feel good when we look good, so invest in YOU. Although growing a personality and a brain goes a long way, too. Now let's see if thick eyebrows a la Brooke Shields circa 1984 will make a come back. Many of us won't mind. Just don't expect moustaches, hairy armpits, and hairy legs (all on women) to ever be in fashion. Good luck to us.
