Safe State

I am in a safe state.
What does it mean?
Well, I finally heard (the HR officer read it to me) the job offer of the company. It’s actually OK, but with their offer, I could not possibly pay my current employer for the remaining return service that I would not be able to tender.

Anyway, the good news is, they are willing to wait until my return service is over. How good is that? 🙂 At least I still have another chance. By then, I would be free as a bird! Haha…Lucky me!

As for now, I will prepare and hmm…look for other opportunities! 🙂

Perfect 10!

i have made a decision.

i am staying. at least for another sem…

after days of sheer confusion, clouds have cleared and the sun is shining bright! 🙂

Maybe I am not yet ready to leave my responsibilities *slash * obligations to the institution that has greatly contributed to the person i am today.  I will never deny the fact that this institution has played a key role in my professional growth.

I am not saying that I’ll stay until I retire. But for now, yes, I am staying for another semester. And I will never regret this decision. I’ll make sure of that. I’m going to be at my best this semester. It’s going to be my tenth semester in MSU and I’ll make it a shining perfect 10!

The decision was hard because I had to choose between 2 “good” things – A “good dilemma”… Either way, I had to make some sacrifices. Well, I still believe that ‘though a door has closed, windows will still open… I am not giving up on my dream. ü

the end…

The PhilNITS October exam is over. Well, I’ve done my best…prepared, and prayed. Unfortunately, the things I have studied about did not come out in the exam. Totally unexpected. It was far different from the April exam. Kinda easier this time, but goodness, can I be so careless!!!

Anyway, we’ll just wait for the results.. I am still hoping that I have reached the 75% passing score (though I wasn’t able to answer a number of questions.. :C ) Well, miracles can happen! =)  Thanks to all those who have prayed for me.

By the way, here are some TIPS for those who are planning to take the PhilNITS exam:

1. Make all the necessary preparations. Review.

2. Answer the past exams (with time limit). –> I did this without time limit because I always have so many interruptions. That’s why during the actual exam, I was unable to answer 1 out of 7 problems due to lack of time (well, even if i had time, i did not have any idea how to solve THAT problem! geez…hehe)

3. Pray, pray, pray.

4. Think positive! DON’T panic. –> I panicked during the exam, especially when I felt that time is running out. I can’t THINK! What is more important is you get as many CORRECT answers. Anyway, there are no special awards for having a perfect or the highest score in PhilNITS. Just PASSING the exam is already a major accomplishment.

5. When you have done everything (from 1 to 4), just ACCEPT whatever the outcome would be. After all, your life or your abilities/capabilities will not be judged by just a single exam. Hey, there’s more to life than PhilNITS! =) And you can always take the next exam. Yes, it may hurt a little bit, but you can always move on. What’s important is you learn from each experience. Your PAST will not Define your FUTURE!

This marks the end of my semester-long planned activities. I feel so FREE now. Except for  the upcoming finals for ACLC plus the computation of grades, I am now liberated from school-related works. Hmm…I’m really looking forward for a REAL vacation!

chat with my mentor…

i was reviewing for the philnits exam when i thought about updating my blog about SFD to include the links to the SFD teaser, which i have uploaded to YouTube.

however, Sir Edwin, one of my (best) mentors during my masters, sent a message through Google chat…

it’s really a blessing to have him as my mentor. i admire him not only on the way he teaches, but also on his wisdom: about life in general.

he said:

life is basically about relationships. certain things can actually wait, depending on how you see it.

which is really true. i have been deeply troubled about deciding to stay or leave the university and work in the industry. i’ve heard dozens of advice and opinions on the matter but this single line really got me thinking. yeah, certain things can ACTUALLY wait. i have this tendency to treat everything as URGENT. sometimes, it’s good to slow down and take things one at a time.

and yes, life is about relationships. at the end of the day, it won’t matter how great you are in your field. what matters is the lives you’ve touched and how your relationships are with other people – famiy, friends, officemates, students, and even soon-to-be x-officemates, x-boardmates, and x-employers…

Sir Edwin:

we all have our own personal struggles. and it takes one to dig deep in his/her inner resource to make the decision that brings peace to oneself…

whew! i really feel blessed to have him as my mentor. i haven’t arrived at the end of the tunnel yet, but a least, i can see the light. 🙂

Chat with one of my best mentors

i was reviewing for the philnits exam when i thought about updating my blog about SFD to include the links to the SFD teaser, which i have uploaded to YouTube.

however, Sir Edwin, one of my (best) mentors during my masters, sent a message through Google chat…

it’s really a blessing to have him as my mentor. i admire him not only on the way he teaches, but also on his wisdom: about life in general.

he said:

life is basically about relationships. certain things can actually wait, depending on how you see it.

which is really true. i have been deeply troubled about deciding to stay or leave the university and work in the industry. i’ve heard dozens of advice and opinions on the matter but this single line really got me thinking. yeah, certain things can ACTUALLY wait. i have this tendency to treat everything as URGENT. sometimes, it’s good to slow down and take things one at a time.

and yes, life is about relationships. at the end of the day, it won’t matter how great you are in your field. what matters is the lives you’ve touched and how your relationships are with other people – famiy, friends, officemates, students, and even soon-to-be x-officemates, x-boardmates, and x-employers…

Sir Edwin:

we all have our own personal struggles. and it takes one to dig deep in his/her inner resource to make the decision that brings peace to oneself…

whew! i really feel blessed to have him as my mentor. i haven’t arrived at the end of the tunnel yet, but a least, i can see the light. 🙂

i am confused

i am about to make one of the biggest decisions in my life. but i am so confused. i’ve longed to work in the industry for about some time already. i have prepared for that time to come. ive prayed and asked for this. and now that the opportunity is knocking at my door, i no longer know if it’s what i really want.

it’s hard to leave the comfort of MSU. though i feel that teaching is not really my passion, there are still a lot of things im gonna miss if i leave…

like my appliances (?) hehe…i can’t bring them all to where i am going. though it is so mababaw, but heck, they make me comfortable!

like not caring to know how much the electric and water bill is. that’s one of the privileges for staying at the Bachelor’s Quarter of MSU. for 200 pesos, i have a pretty and spacious room, which i share with only one roommate, unlimited use of appliances, clean living room and CR…and so many more.. again, for only 200 pesos! plus, since i have a neighbor with SmartBro WiFi, i pay only another 200 pesos and i have internet connection! life is beautiful!

i’ll also miss my derma – Ate Bing. she takes care of my face… 🙂 of course, i can’t take her with me wherever i go. i’ll miss those painful facials…huhu..of course there are still other derma clinics but Ate Bing’s personal services i waaay different.

i’ll miss my dentist. (gosh, what about my braces?!) 😦 though doc is in davao, at least that’s just 3 hours and 200 pesos away from GenSan.

i’ll miss my brothers. i’ll miss my family. gensan is still closer to home than the other place. and transportation is cheaper.

oh…the list can go on! 😦

well… i’d also love a fresh change. new people, new environment. i also have a lot of friends and family in that “other” place. so, i won’t really be alone and lonely. yippee! there are lots of opportunities there. i can take care of my career better…(*sigh*) i am still confused.

Roller Coaster Ride

Yesterday was a helluva day.

I had a roller coaster ride of emotions.

First, I was furious for being held accountable for some amount of money that I didn’t even have any idea about. Good thing, the person apologized immediately after I gave my explanation. So I felt relieved.

Then, I was so thrilled to receive a phone call from the company to which I’ve applied. They are offering another position and want me to start on Nov 10! Goodness! That leaves me a month to settle things out. Whew!

Buti na lang I have good friends who helped me sort things out. It’s a big decision to make and I really needed to hear what they had to say about the situation.

I felt excited, thrilled, confused, even sad for the thought that I might leave these wonderful people. Scared of starting again…to adjust with the entirely new environment in the next workplace. Afraid to face my bosses and try to explain my reasons for leaving.

“God’s will is your heart’s deepest desire…”

Nothing Constant But Change…

We just concluded the CSC181 Proposal Defense a while ago. And it was tooootally different from the previous years’ defense. My co-teacher’s head was way cooler now (he’s a transformed person already!). There were no tears…no curses…no suicidal attempts…no murder plots (: hehe…that was an exaggeration. But if our alumni could have only witnessed our defense today, they would really wish they were born or have enrolled a little later. Geez…but as always, experience is the best teacher – EVEN for TEACHERS.

We’ve also learned through the years…
LESSON: Never Stop Learning! 🙂

Changes…

We just concluded the CSC181 Proposal Defense a while ago. And it was tooootally different from the previous years’ defense. My co-teacher’s head was way cooler now (he’s a transformed person already!). There were no tears…no curses…no suicidal attempts…no murder plots (: hehe…that was an exaggeration. But if our alumni could have only witnessed our defense today, they would really wish they were born or have enrolled a little later. Geez…but as always, experience is the best teacher – EVEN for TEACHERS.

We’ve also learned through the years…
LESSON: Never Stop Learning! 🙂

Making a Living OR Living a Life

Recently, I’ve read Sacha Chua’s blog on GenY and How They Work.
It really helped me realize a lot of things. It came when I needed it most.

I just talked to my other “boss” a while ago. I told him (meekly) that I won’t be working for them anymore (next semester). It was my third and final attempt to talk to him. Finally, I got the courage to tell him about my plans. I no longer want to work on Saturdays, well.. at least for next semester. I want to spend it with friends and family, and most of all, I want to spend it creating more value for myself through:
a. engaging in real projects (I can start small)
b. reading the books I’ve been wanting to read for a long time
c. research on things that really interest me.

I felt good when my “boss” didn’t react the way my “other bosses” in the other fence reacted. He even encouraged me to look for better opportunities and to do it while I am still young (while companies would be much willing to accept me).

He told me that I could still think about it until the 25th of October. I was thankful because I am still actually having second thoughts. Im scared to be financially unstable. I have brothers to send to school. And the Nursing course in Davao Doc is expensive. Im afraid I might not have enough money to support my family…

But I guess I have given more than enough of my share already. I am no longer happy with what I am doing. It’s no longer worth the effort. I will still try my best to be financially stable without having to kill myself slowly by working unhappily for ten straight hours. I just had to enjoy my Saturdays again…

Sometimes, it’s just hard to decide between “Making A Living” or “Living A Life”.