Make some love. Earn some living.

Do what you love...for me, is a bad career advice.

How many times we find ourselves saying it to other people?

How many times have we been fed with that cliche?

Too many to count, I guess.  It has become an integrated part of our growing up.
Our seniors would often highlight their success by saying they have succeeded because they are doing what they love.  Don't believe them.  They are successful because they are good at what they do.

And no, they are no more lucky than you are.

Thing is, we are complicated, multi-faceted, and our interest shifts as time goes by.

We do not only love one thing. 

We love a lot of things.  

And how do we know what it is that we love for sure?

We love in different ways.  

We love accordingly.  

we love simultaneously.  

We don't deliberate and assess ourselves why we love.  

We just do.  

and to choose one thing that we love as a career can have its problems.  

Say, sex and food.  Our love for the two is something we all share.  

We love sex.  

We do it, but we do not get paid for it -except for the professionals.  

And would you want to be one? 

In my case, I'd have to lose a lot of pounds which means I must starve myself one way or another.  I'm not good at that, I get grumpy when I am hungry.  

Customers don't like grumpy service providers. 

And  I love to eat... I love sweets, cutting my sugar high is just downright suicidal. 

Dead service provider are never hired.

And we are more than our love for sex (and of any other things we value)...at least I think I am...I hope you feel the same way too.  And even if the sex industry sounds promising, not all of us who loves it are good at it.  

And how can you make a career of something that you are not good at?   

I tried and I downright failed miserably.  I love food and don't ask me how many times I tried learning how to cook. I just suck.  Period.  I almost put my mom's kitchen on fire which is no kitchen anyway (I'm too clever to use my own kitchen hehe).  And looking at people's reactions over my cooking is just not good for the ego and self-esteem.  

We love sex and we love food but we intermittently love them because we also love other things.  

We don't jump into bed with someone because the opportunity presents itself nor do we eat every food offered to us.  We choose partners and we select food.  We create choices and love in categories.   

In some instances, we restrain.  And it's crazy but sometimes, not giving in to something we love to do has its own satisfaction.

So get over the fact that if you don't do the things you love, you won't be happy.  

That is just bull.  

If that is true, try gluttoning on sex and food for a month without a break.  That should ensure one month of straight happiness. But you know what's gonna happen.  You'd lose your mind.   You'd feel miserable.  The things you hate, suddenly you crave just to break the monotony.  By this time, you'd do anything...just anything to get away from it. 

Why is it a problem to do the things you love as a career again?

It is impossible to do all the things you love.
If you still insist, I think, it would be a long unending career search. Try forever.

A career, like marriage obliges you to become loyal.
It requires you spend time with it and you are not allowed not find another mistress.  Companies call it, conflict of interest.Otherwise, it bitches and makes you feel incompetent. It asks for your devotion and once you give it, it opens up unending opportunities for you.  And if you love so many things, monogamy might be a little too heavy for you to handle.  You can only cheat on your partner for so long before one catches you and send you back to hell where you came from. (ok I made that up -- the where you came from part...ehehe.  Regardless, you are going to hell.)

A career is successful if one is consistent in building it and thus, the foundation of your career must first be consistent-- meaning a career should have a solid base.  

Love may be a many splendored thing but it is not consistent and neither can we count on it as solid.  

Simple, we change our minds and we project love in many ways.  

Love requires us to be creative and dynamic.  

Love pushes us to be experimental.  

Love loves to shake our stability.  

Yes, it sounds all exciting, but you have to remind yourself that your job is not to keep you excited, it is to provide you an earning.  

We cannot change our career every so often every time our love for something dies. 

I'm not saying get a job you hate.  That is insane.

I'm saying working is not about a matter of doing what you love most, but a question of what you are great at.  I tried doing a project before because I love doing programs that can help communities.  But the problem is, that certain project requires a certain expertise in the medical field that I do not have.  I cannot relate.  

My degree in philosophy did not help either.  

I tried studying but it made me feel constricted and all the more confused. 

Helpless is the word, misunderstood is second, Inefficient is the third.  

It's like fitting a large foot in a small shoe.  

All you get is frustration.  My love for helping did not cease but it did not make me effective either.

However if you build on your strengths and you develop it, you are sure to get somewhere.  

A career is something we do to get rewarded.  Love expects no reward.

Love serves a different purpose in our lives.
Don't ask that it pay your rent, buy you food, and get you a car.  Love is too good for that.

And because Love is too snobby to get us our selfish desires of luxury, Career is there to balance it out ---because Loving cannot put food on the table, Career is there to make sure you eat.  No, they don't work against eachother.  In fact they compliment, Career makes sure you are alive so that you can Love effectively.

Our career is just part of us, it is not our life. 

A job is still a job. At the end of the day, it is our relationships that shape the greatness of our lives.

But having a career you are good at is just as important as loving.  A career gives you a sense of being valued in monetary form and/or how you contribute to the society.  It can also be fulfilling because having a good career means paying the bills and giving yourself and your family the luxury money can afford.  How we do our job, whether we follow structure or not, is how the society calibrate our value.  That's why we appreciate people who are great in their fields...

You don't get paid doing what you love.
Regardless of what you say, you are not getting paid because you love it.
You are getting paid because you can pull the job off.

Know the difference.  

The moment you slack and someone outperforms you, your love for the job might help you strive to develop your skills and become better so as not to lose it.  

But at the end of the day, it's still whether you are able to deliver or not.  

So instead of saying, do what you love, why don't we say, do what you are good at and love it.  Putting your strengths as the primary requirement on choosing a career instead of putting what you want to do first.  

And stop looking for the perfect career.  You are not that special.  Yes you have your moments but you are just like everybody else.  It is only fair that you get your share of annoying managers, hard-to-deal-with-clients, Bosses-from-hell, and the satanic cult to bring some misfortune to your perfect life.

Empowered Filipina Activity

We had the EFA last night and was so thankful the Zerdon and Amanda VS was there to assist me in setting up the place and putting things in order.  I was happy to see Sir Seth cruise in whilst we prepare.  I thought he was just there to take photos but surprise! surprise! he took the time to be in the workshop till it ended.  Angie have been raving about Sir Seth, we are so glad he was able to attend *clap clap clap.  

Our resource speaker for that night is another empowered filipina, Ms. Mae Fe Ancheta Templa.  She is one of the strongest women I've known.  She was actually my first executive director in my first job in an NGO years before.  It was generous of her to attend even if she was informed in short notice.  She is currently Kyabaan's managing director. 

The girls who attended last night were all beautiful.  It was exciting to see that they have come to the workshop with the goal to make themselves better.  The value of beauty as it all started starts from the physical but Tita Mae Fe encouraged them to look at their self concept if they are already at the stage beyond the physical concept of one's self and if they are not, are they ready to leap?

I'm glad to hear them say yes.

This activity is spearheaded by 13thWiTCH Design Studio. 

Special Thanks to Anniepie for hosting us.  

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to 

Klea Fifth, Davao Bloggers, Amanda VS, Zerdon King, and Sir Seth.

Halloween at Sm

I was a judge at the Halloween Costume Contest in SM.  I was expecting cool costumes but I was really impressed at how mommies and daddies made up their kids for the party.  It was soo cool.  Characters you never thought you would see.  The creativity in each costume is detailed and astounding.  I even met Chuckie!

Snow White's Evil Stepmom

Snow White's Evil Stepmom after she transformed. hehe

DARNA!

We love Mad Hatter!

Evil Queen

for the Lord of the Rings Fans

Ria can't help it...Ironman!

at mawawala ba ang

traditional na aswang?

Bride of Chuckie

Chuckie tops the bill. the knife.

look at the knife. haha!

The filipino Manananggal

AVATAR

ang cute ng bata, kalbo ^.^

creepy clown

moi with princess Fiona ^.^

Impressions will be in Rockwell, Global Pinoy Rock Bazaar (Nov 6-7)

Impressions Jewelry Collection to be sold in
Global Pinoy Rock, Rockwell - NOV 6-7

I'm nervous and I'm excited.  I'll be doing my first bazaar this NOVEMBER 6 and 7 at Rockwell.  Please come and visit me guys.  As you all know, I've been enslaving myself with designs these past few months. I will be displaying my recent ones in Rockwell this November.  

Each piece will range from a thousand or so up.  For those who wants to reserve, please pm me in facebook ^.^ Big ass Bib like the ones posted above will range from Php3,000 and up.  Materials are unique and hard to find handmade cut Mother of Pearl and Capiz Shells with beads and Gemstones.  

All designs are one of a kind ^.^

View more designs here.

Find me in BOOTH 29.

See you all there!

Other Bazaar Schedules that I will be in -- 

• November 17-21, World Trade 
• November 19-21, Rockwell Grove

Google Adwords Free Advertising Voucher

After a great week at GenSan in their Tuna Festival, I arrived home yesterday.  Still euphoric about my great experience in the Tuna City, Long long handed me an envelope.  It said google.  I raised my eyebrow...scam? 

So I opened it and found a free advertising voucher! yey!  Did anyone get one also? it's so cool.

The voucher is worth Php1,500 but after the 30th, its value drops to Php1,000.  So i must use it now or tom ^.^ The gift is valid till October 15.

what's the catch? you have to have a credit card.

AUCTION CLOSE!

To All who bid and sent their inquiries, thank you.
See you all soon ^.^

Love the way you Lie

video from youtube, lyrics from directlyrics.com

1st elephant encounter

I've been going to Bangkok for the nth time and never once did I meet a working elephant on the streets. I was able to fly to Chang Mai where the Elephant School is, but no thanks to our driver, who cannot seem to read map, we weren't able to find it =(

But guess what? I was able to ride one in pnh! weeeeh! remember what they say about be careful what you wish for, you might get it? well, i wished to ride one...not anticipating the gigantic size of the mammal...I was offered one...and I got scared...waaah...they had to drag me and cajole me to go ride it... scary but fun! still scary! *hehehe!

to ride the elephant, you have to pay a fee of $20, but because I was a scaredy cat and my ride was cut short, we only paid $5 =P afterwhich, the owner said i can give her a shower! weeeh!

Panama!

I want to go to Panama!

With this in mind, I started my research for an ideal trip.  

First thing that came to my mind when the word rolled in my tongue is the book, The Panama Hat trail and then Pierce Brosnan follows.  I think it was made into a movie and he starred it. Or I may have been confusing his 007 Series with this idea in my head.  

But I, nonetheless, want to see for myself how skillfully the Artisans from the Village of Montecristi, Ecuador make their hats...with or without Pierce Brosnan =P

Why the hats?  well, I was intrigued because in the book, The Panama Hat trail, the novel starts in the hat trade and discusses the intricate but speculative details of how this trade might have shaped Ecuador's history.  The hats, were primarily bought by American prospectors during the 19th century while en-route to the gold fields of California. Simply put, it's the country's icon. One has just to see it. 

Panama is also close to the Pacific Ocean and Carribean Sea, and thus, Panama Fishing (in both freshwater and saltwater), is the next thing to do.  Panama is an Indian word for abundance of fish.  I read that you can catch a fish ranging from 2 lbs to a 100 lbs.

Another meaning of Panama is "many butterflies".  Being the largest rainforest that is outside the Amazon Basin in the Western Hemisphere, it's forest is abundant in tropical plants and birds.  

So I can just imagine, white sand beaches, a fishing cruise, and a fantastic photoshoot while staying at a Panama Hotel.   

Now if only I can find the right client to hire me and pay for the hotel's room package ^.^

Sponsored Post

running in circles

Where does one go if one finds oneself running in circles?
The redundancy of it all adds to the exhaustion...You think what you are...must you have to? think what you already are? A case of no solution but will always be a display of repetition.   Repetition of what? of almost everything in tow by being you.  But what does it mean to be you?  Ahh and the mind thinks again...and again...and again...until it reaches a conclusion of something you can never be sure of.

The self, the ever evolving self, shifts even before you can wholly understand it, adding confusion to the already tired mind. 

 The soul, the tireless soul, wanders around, shaking the body to the core.

The heart, bleeding even when it's not.

And the mind... sometimes aimless with its goal.

Why do we think of things we want to do and why do we not think when we do things?  

Must we always run amok, blind and naked?

Vulnerable to pain.

Susceptible to deceit.

Hopeful to the impossible.

Grateful to lapses.

How do you pacify and silent but hurting soul?

How do you embrace a frightened child?

Angry at inconsistencies.

Paranoid towards the unknown.

How do you part the lessons needed to be learned?

How do you say silence without uttering a word.

The drama of life.

The chapters of living.

Always tracing a spiral staircase that sometimes go haywire...entangling the reasons and bending them out of shape.  You think you are and then discovers you are not...and then you don't think at all.

Bangkok Wok Escapade

On my way to Bangkok last Aug 7, in the few hours left before our flight, I squeezed myself in between schedules to have dinner with fellow bloggers at Bangkok Wok-- A pretaste of the delectable dishes I will soon relish in the Land of Smiles and conniving tuk-tuk drivers... I only managed to taste three dishes...and they were superb.

Thai Milk Ice Tea
I love this!

 I tasted Yam Pak Boong, crispy kangkong salad in a sweet lime dressing with shrimps and crunchy shallots... Kai Luk Koei, the "son-in-law" eggs -- nope not those eggs...it's the Thai version of devilled eggs - deep fried hard-boiled eggs with tamarind sauce and fried chili...and Laarb Gai, minced chicken salad with cilantro.

Below are photos of the three dishes that I was able to eat that I stole from Chatee.  And description of taste was helped articulated by Greg Roberts who accompanied me to the dinner.

Yam Pak Boong - Php225

It is crispy, lightly fried, the batter was light and crispy and wasn't greasy at all.  The flavor is distinct and sharp and an excellent combination of ingredients.  It is mainly an appetizer but is also good enough to be eaten as a main course.

Kai Luk Koei - Php95

The son-in-law eggs...eggs were boiled first, then deep fried  and served with a light sauce.  The main flavor mainly came from the deep fried chilis.  The texture of the chili peppers were crispy and the spice of the chili were muted enough by the cooking process so it complements the delicate egg without overpowering it.

Laarb Gai - Php195

Not yet on the menu when it was served to us but will definitely hit the resto as a blockbuster.  Marinated Chicken with a taste of a slight vinegrette. Best eaten as a wrap in lettuce.  Flavorful but not spicy. A perfect to begin a meal before the heavier and more complex dishes.

Chatee, Davao Blogger

Ambiance of the Retaurant was execptionally impressive.  Elegant but not intimidating and tastefully done...A hole in the Mall place *wink...Not your run in the mill, find-it-in-the-mall restaurant.  It is classy and has character...and doesn't use plastic chairs!

Find Bangkok Wok in Robinson's Commercial Complex. 
I will be home at the end of August and the first stop when I hit Davao is Bangkok Wok to officially end my Bangkok trip!

find the one

Bangkok Wok Chef/Owner

kainin mo ha.

Pacquiao also conquers BKK!

My tuk tuk driving showing me
boxing photos

What's the best thing about the tuk-tuk drivers in Bangkok? 
They talk. A lot. 
My tuk-tuk driver on our way to Pradiphat decided early on when I aboard his little tuk-tuk that I am a local. He started to converse in Thai to which I politely smiled and shook my head.  When it was apparent that I was not understanding him, he asked me where I came from.  


I told him Philippines.  
He nodded and brooded over the information and then he slowly got his newspaper.  He asked me in his thick Thai accent..."Do you know Manny Pacquiao?".  

My tuk-tuk driver shows me our champ's column
in the BKK daily newspaper

Now,  regardless of the stupid things Pacquiao threw himself in, the kid is a good fighter.  Let me correct myself..He is a great fighter!  I have been cheering for him ever since I saw him fight years ago, even before he got his belt.  Heck I was in Robinsons Theater to watch him on the big screen...Alone and weirdly making friends with my seatmates in the 1 minute and 50-so seconds the fight lasted. 
I smiled broadly.

Isn't it great that they have heard of our great boxing fighter?  

My tuk-tuk driver informed me that he was invited by the King for his birthday last year. His Majesty the King, General Chetta Thanajaro turned 82 last December 5, 2009 -- ehem...my birthday is December 5.  If I remember correctly I was on my way to Thailand during this time to celebrate my birthday amongst other things...but Cebu Pacific did not let me in because my passport was not in a good condition!!! Ugh!  So I spent it quietly in a guesthouse somewhere in Manila...good to know some celebrants had a blast =P

The Philippine Six Sigma Conference 2010

Mr. Amante Araneta Aguilar, Consultant, Supply Chain Management

Builiding a Culture of Continuous Improvement and
Quality excellence in Organizations

Many thanks to Digital Filipino for my delegate pass to The Philippine Six Sigma Conference 2010 held last Aug 4-5 at the Intercontinental Manila.  The conference ran a full two days of talking about strategic management.  It was two days of packed information on how to run your company strategically – and they already started showing the charts the first day…It made me dizzy…that was one of the early clues that they were really serious about what they are talking about…sheeesh.  


I applaud the Speakers in their brilliance of defining Six Sigma by pointing to what Six Sigma is not, and thus unconsciously breaking down the prejudices that I have.  A brilliant strategy, I think, for they clearly defined what Six Sigma is by pointing out the factors that aren’t.  In return, it swept my head of early pre-conceptions of what it is that would have misguided me in understanding fully the inputs of the conference. 

So let me start by saying, if you are steering a people-oriented organization, then Six Sigma may not be for you.  It circles around forming great leaders to make the great decisions.  I don’t think it can transform a bureaucratic organization to an open or learning system.  If you aim to improve your active-adaptive org, the managing consultants would say, other methodology might be more apt for you to achieve your goal.  So unless you find a way to effectively integrate Six Sigma in it, don’t even think about it.  Six Sigma is a top-down level management where all crucial decisions come the executive level. 

Before attending the conference, I did my little research and what I found raised my bar of curiosity.  As far as I know, Six Sigma never existed in my life until now. 

Six Sigma initially is a business system management strategy that effects change.  One of the things it makes you do is that it forces you to prioritize and makes you tap the best people and makes you recognize the best things they are doing.  According to the speakers, as a data driven management strat, you have to know your level of improvement before you can implement improvement itself.  


It is critical that you were able to diagnose your organization’s problem correctly, otherwise, you would be likened to a doctor giving his patients the wrong medicine.  No matter how good the solution is, if it is not the right solution, it will do your organization no good.  


A Six Sigma project fails because it is being implemented on projects that don’t need it. 

I remember a friend teaching me this and my four years in college earning that philosophy degree kicked right in…we call it, in not so layman’s term, Critical Thinking.  

The right answers don’t matter, what is critical, is that, you ask the right questions.

 Something the Speakers in the first day kept reiterating by talking about the problematic factors in corporations or organizations.  


They gave examples of where problems might initially lie and they mentioned corruption, inefficiency, and the unsophisticated production process amongst other things.  These factors, for example, often lead to over or under supply, errors in financial analysis, wrong investment decisions, communication glitches, even to the incomplete procurement of needed materials.  Some factors may not be quantitative, and that is, as they said, the tricky part. 

Things can be found when you start to look for them, but you will never find them in places they are not in...and how about you finding something you are not looking for?  It sometimes bump you in the forehead unexpectedly and makes you crash on your feet.  Sometimes, it’s sweet when that happens, it usually does during anniversaries, but anniversaries only happen once a year.  Enough said.


Statistics is also an integral part of Six Sigma...but not necessarily in its brutal raw appearance of calculated graphs.  Because Six Sigma pushes one to do data-driven decisions, one needs to understand and know the variables involved and their interpretations.  Believe me, looking at the graph and understanding its legends is easier and less time consuming than reading a 100-page report.

Mr. Jeff Meija made a good point in saying, If it’s something your common sense cannot solve, then you need Six Sigma. And mind you,  common sense can solve a lot of things. 

The structured methodology will require you to test your common sense first.  Stupidity is the primary error it will ask you to eliminate even before you consider implementing it.  There lies the biggest challenge; we humans are commonly stupid…

Ahh, that’s where the consultants come in.  *wink.

Mr. Dan Lachica, President, CEO of First Philec Solar Corporation
"Creating a Culture of Operational Excellence - The Six Sigma Way"

The Philippine Six Sigma Conference delegates

View the Philippine Six Sigma Speakers 

View full Album

108 Pencils Donated to Pens of Hope Davao

Donated by Compass Rose, NC

108 Pencils were donated last July 26, 2010 by Compass Rose, NC.  Three boxes of unsharpened pencils were directly given to Ms. Leah Valle from a supporter in the US.  Pens of Hope Davao extends its heartfelt gratitude to Compass Rose, NC for the company's support to this advocacy campaign.  After the first activity last July 17, many people have expressed their support and are now actively garnering pencil donations for the group.  This includes Mr. Edge Uyanguren of DZUP, official radio station of UP Diliman, Avatar Media and Davao Bloggers via Ria Jose, Ms. Glennis Suminguit, and Mr.Henry Stuart.

Visit Pens of Hope Official Website.

  For inquiries please email us at pensofhopeindavao@gmail.com, leahvalle@gmail.com, or kitkitavenue@gmail.com.
For our supporters outside the Philippines who would like to donate, you can do so via Paypal. Thank you ^.^

"Accessories maketh the outfit"

Sponsored by Cree & Terrie's

Ours is a fashion generation.  In the flood of ideas, there is no shortage of style and signature. We achieve our choice of identity. 

‘Vestis Virum Facit’.
clothes maketh the man...
but "accessories maketh the outfit".

IN accessorizing, follow the golden rule. LESS is MORE.  Better to be under-accessorized than a walking christmas tree... 

Learning how dress is one thing. Learning how to dress well is another. The differences are subtle but the difference is drastic. A little tweak to your hair, or  maybe a tinge of color to your cheek. Whether a slim belt or a large round onyx pendant around your neck, the little accents you don must complement you.  Most of all, only wear what looks good on you—start with your preferences and style.

wishing to be on the beach

on my way to Samal Island

Vote for this post

"Official" Summer months may be over but being in the tropics, summer never really ends.  A beach escapade will always be one of the choices in most Filipino lists of fun and destination. Who could say no to the sparkling blue water, breathtaking sunsets, and night parties along the sand dunes?

And even if you say no...I won't believe you.  

I fell in love with beach, with its water, sand, sunset, and palm treeswhen I was young and even at 26, I still am a beach bum.  But what i love the most is the wind and how it blows my hair and dries my face.  The city just can't give me that.

 So please, please SEAIR, send me a ticket to be part of the beach tour in Boracay. 

 I have visited SEAIR Facebook Fanpage and clicked the like button without any hesitation.  

I held my breath and didn't even blink, uttering my silent prayer to the Saint of the Impossible.  

Put me in Microtel Philippines and let me be the happiest chick in the island. 

Let me take hundreds and hundreds of photos and give me a reason to write something exciting in my blog.  Sigh.

I will be waiting...

Silent Ode translated -- by Rene Caparas

RIA - Ballet @ Brent

I received a mail from a friend, Rene Caparas who beautifully translated my poem in Tagalog. He is also a poet and is currently taking a Ph. D course in NCPAG.  

PALAMANTASAN sponsored by Cheez Whiz

student listening in the program

PALAMANTASAN ng Sarap school eliminations was held in Buhangin Elementary School last August 17, 1:00pm.  As prompted, around eleven, I swerved my truck to Marco Polo, illegally parked in front of Miami Foods and trudged my sweaty self to the hotel for the meet up.  The lounge a/c is a blessing for my fats were sizzling in the heat.

14-Day Mystery Shampoo Challenge

The month of July must be a contest month! A lot of cool stuff going online! If yesterday, I posted something for the gadget freaks to win, now it's time for the Kikays to shine.

Register, order your sample, and refer your friends.

and win exciting prizes like Blackberry Bold!

Philippine Six Sigma Conference 2010

Six Sigma Plan, a project methodology, if I am correct as to how I understand it, is something I really need.