Gwenly Reminders

Keep your vote cool and clean. 

No, this is not an iced tea commercial; they’re just really good in coming up with this reminder.  

Cast an intelligent vote. 

Read the candidates’ profiles. Listen to the news. Don’t vote on the basis of the candidates’ promises in their advertisements. Look for what they have contributed to the country or for the betterment of their respective provinces. Surely, they couldn’t have run for senator without first handling local government units.

It’s better to give than to receive but it’s okay to receive. 

On May 13, money will just come to you. The excitement of receiving it has even become a Filipino joke that comes around every three years. It’s okay to receive as long as your dignity stays intact and by that, I mean don’t sell your vote. Ever. A senatorial candidate said that he thinks like a marathon runner. He always looks at the long run. Selling your vote can make you rich for a day or two or several days depending on the amount they give out but when you look at the long run, you end up with corrupt officials wanting back the money they gave out during election and a country that is poorer than it already is. Think like a marathon runner and say no to vote buying.

Muster some courage. 

I’ve been told of the danger of breach of the contract of sale (in this case, the object is one’s vote). They say one can even end up dead, especially in the rural areas. Perhaps, this may be a bit idealistic but I think it takes some courage to really fight for what you believe is right.

Shake off timidity. 

On May 13, it could be hot and humid out or it could be wet and muddy. Would the weather stop you from moving towards a better Philippines? Go out and practice your right to suffrage.

Pray for a clean election. 

We never really know what happens once we cast our vote. We can never be sure of an honest election despite its being automated. However, we can always pray that the evil one be kept at bay so that we may have a clean and honest election.

TOWARDS A BETTER PHILIPPINES!

Grace

Grace

by Laura Story

My heart is so proud. My mind is so unfocused.
I see the things You do through me as great things I
have done. And now You gently break me, then lovingly You take me 

And hold me as my father and mold me as my Maker.

Chorus:
I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down?
And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abound?"
And you answer: " My child, I love you.
And as long as you're seeking My face, 

You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace."

At times I may grow weak and feel a bit discouraged,
knowing that someone, somewhere could do a better job.
For who am I to serve You? I know I don't deserve You.
And that's the part that burns in my heart and keeps me
hanging on.

Chorus*
I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down?
And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abound?"
And you answer: " My child, I love you.
And as long as you're seeking My face, 

You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace."
You are so patient with me, Lord.

As I walk with You, I'm learning what Your grace really
means. The price that I could never pay was paid at Calvary. 

So, instead of trying to repay You, 

I'm learning to simply obey You
by giving up my life to you For all that You've given to me.

Chorus:
I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I
keep on letting you down?
And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far
will forgiveness abound?"
And you answer: " My child, I love you.
And as long as you're seeking My face, 

You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace.

The Earth

We've all learned from basic science the three layers of the Earth - the crust, the mantle and the core. Many geologists believe that as the Earth cooled the heavier, denser materials sank to the center and the lighter materials rose to the top. Because of this, the crust is made of the lightest materials (rock- basalts and granites) and the core consists of heavy metals (nickel and iron).

The crust of the Earth is broken into many pieces called plates. The plates "float" on the soft, plastic mantle which is located below the crust. These plates usually move along smoothly but sometimes they stick and build up pressure. The pressure builds and the rock bends until it snaps. When this occurs an Earthquake is the result! 
(Source: http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Earths_layers/)

Yep, that's Mother Earth. She has a lot in common with my own mother. The crust is what I see of her. The mantle is her motherly instinct of keeping the core deep under by avoiding serious talks and just seeming self-absorbed. The core is her circumstances. 

The sad part is that I was too focused on the crust on which I live. I was too focused on the earthquakes and how they affect me. I never took the chance to understand the whole being of the Earth. You see, hidden under that thin crust and that very thick mantle is the core. These are my mother's circumstances. I realized that I may never have cared enough to understand what's going on deep below what I see. As of the moment, my greatest regret is having thought of my mother as the antagonist of my life.

She burst out last night. She told me some really nasty things about myself and how I've been acting up. They hit me hard. But I thought I needed to hear that. Now, she's still mad at me and I'm very sorry about giving her a hard time. I just hope she forgives me. My mother has been through a lot and I ought to try and understand that core. 

It took me a heartbreak to realize that we all have different circumstances. Don't let it happen to you. After all those tears, I ended up blaming my own selfishness. I've known for so long how selfish I am, so I try to fight it every single time. It's not enough to scare it off, though. I'd have to defeat it and see it dead. Who knows? This might be the summer that could change my relationship with my mother forever. 

PS. I'm thinking that what happened last night was partly because of my being irritable on the night before the first day of my girl-thing. My mother always falls victim to it. ALWAYS. This too shall pass. And out of all this will come a more understanding daughter and a better mother-daughter relationship like I've always wanted. I just have to take part in making it so.

***

At lumipas din :')

Heartbreak is a good teacher.

Alone in the City

You know what else I've come to realize in Manila?

It's sad and lonely when people bail on you. 

I might have known that for awhile already, I just didn't admit it.

So I vowed to myself that I will not easily bail on people anymore. 

If you're someone who has been bailed on, don't worry, it's an opportunity to experience new things on your own like walking the streets of a new city on your own. Stay strong!

 :D

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

You know what else being alone can teach you?
It teaches you the value of your friends' presence.
For instance, I found the train rides home very sad and lonely. So, during the few times that some of my friends and I got to go home together, it made me really happy. It's a different feeling. I got to laugh with them instead of just putting on a poker face like I do when I'm alone on the train. My friends made the train ride enjoyable. Thank God I have them. 

Scrapbook+

OJT - Employee training at the place of work while he or she is doing the actual job. Usually a professional trainer (or sometimes an experienced employee) serves as the course instructor using hands-on training often supported by formal classroom training. 

(Source: www.businessdictionary.com)

In the Summer of 2013, I had a glimpse of my future.

Did you know?

That the auditors at SGV are branded as underpaid busy young professionals accustomed to pulling all-nighters and known to have the tendency to have a breakdown even in front of the interns  

This is how the office looks like in the morning - EMPTY.

People are here are just nocturnal. 

Many of them start coming in late in the morning and stay there until the sun rises the next day.

EXPECTATION

I thought the photocopy machine and the stapler were going to be my new best friends.

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

I was wrong. Here's what really happened.

READY FOR TAKE-OFF

THE FIRST FEELING

The feeling of being lost in the midst of all those skyscrapers.

It's like I'm in one of those Korean movies :D

 (Photo grabbed from the Internet)

Ayala Avenue at night
(Photo by Luke Juan)

GALA GALA DIN SA MAKATI

Ganito kami sa Makati

(1st week and 2nd week gala moments)

Haggardo Versoza sa MRT

 (Photo courtesy of Marc Joseph Loyola)

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

Sunday evening rush hour. Didn’t see this one coming. OMG. Skin to skin lang naman.

And well, it’s the lasting feeling of siksikan and standing so close to complete strangers. The MRT is how I get to  and from the office everyday.

BACK AT THE OFFICE

Meet Ms. Erlyn, my supervisor. Takot ako sa kanya. Mukhang mataray eh. Pero mabait daw yan basta lang hindi tinotopak. She called me a’premium’ several times. I thought I was the worst-case scenario. It didn’t seem to me like they need me around here. So on my first day, I was just sitting around until I was given two FS's for footing. Buti na lang. Anyway, it’s only the first day, things may get more exciting. (Sorry I don't think it's appropriate to be uploading the pictures of my seniors.)

Just I'd hoped for, I was assigned on my second day. 

Loyola Memorial Chapels and Crematorium, Inc. (LMCCI)

MY SENIORS

Sir Luke. The model.

Sir Elmar. The funnyman.

Ms. Russel. The achiever.

VOUCHING. 

VOUCHING.

MORE VOUCHING.

"Gwendolyn, pa-vouch"

 "Antayin mo lang 'yung iba pang boxes."

TREATS FROM MY SENIORS

Happy Lemon. 

Don't leave Manila without ever trying it.

 (Photo not mine)

Starbucks.

Katuwang sa trabaho.

I had to do all the vouching during my first week but on the third week, JR came. He's my junior intern from San Beda. Nauna po kasi akong pumasok by one week as an intern. That makes me his senior. It's our batch's private joke. (Sorry, I don't think it's appropriate to post his picture either.)

LOYOLA LOYALTY.

From the Loyola that provides services to the dead, JR and I were transferred to the Loyola (Loyola Plans Consolidated) that serves the living... who are anticipating death nonetheless. Here, I learned to face the client when I was tasked to inquire about the nature of certain accounts. That sure was scarier than working at the crematorium.

Oh, here's another senior I'd like you to meet.

Sir Derick. The natural gentleman.

I spent my second week with him auditing a condominium corporation in Taguig City. And yeah, I have a little bit of a crush on him. Usap usap din over lunch, libre niya pa ako ng Tokyo Tokyo. Unfortunately, three days were all I had with him. Pinahiram lang ako sa kanya eh. How sad. Haha.

Second client ko na 'to, Easy Rock pa 'rin pinapakinggan nila. Naiinis ako sa sobrang drama ng FM station na 'to. Akalain mo, kahit yung FM station jingle nila, SLOW SONG! My gosh. Anyway, sorry Easy Rock.

And on the last week, FOOTING... and going to and from the Report Production Services (RPS).

All the vouching and footing paid off! 

FIRST WEEK ALLOWANCE

More to come.

Casual Day at SGV

GOOD TIMES

Gala gala din pag may time

My classmates have over a thousand pictures. Pero 'yung exposure ko? Don't ask. I learned my lesson. Never stay away from your friends with cameras. Nakaka-bitter lang talaga T.T

And here's the catch, pag nakakasama ko friends ko, I wore the same clothes the last time na nakasama ko sila unintentionally. So, parang inulit-ulit ko lang yung mga damit ko. My gosh! 

Anyway, it's the memory that counts. I was there and maybe a lot of my experiences have not been documented with pictures but it's okay. I'll have more SGV experiences soon.

Put 'yer Geeky Glasses on and go to IMAX

With the GPP Boys

With Optimus Prime

Hand-chopped burger at Solaire

THE LAST FEELING

NOSTALGIA

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

It's the same sun that's setting to end their day.

The MRT

During my one month stay in Manila for my on-the-job training at SGV & Co. Makati, the MRT is how I get to and from the office every day and also when I go out and meet with my friends. As you might expect, it’s crowded. It’s way weird standing so close to strangers and when I say close, I mean skin to skin. What’s so great about it is that you get to actually experience Manila. You learn what people here actually go through. What’s greater is that you learn to be equal with everybody else. You understand the discomfort felt by the stranger next to you. You understand how everybody else is also in a hurry just like you. So, you don’t get mad when you get pushed and you don’t expect special treatment just because you’re late for work or school or whatever. Like everyone else in the train, you have to endure the feeling of being like a headless fish in a can of sardines and be patient with the long queues in the entrances and exits.

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

I also happened to witness some RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) like when a middle-aged woman offered her seat to an old man with a cane. At other times I myself have been the receiver of these RAK like when I was already stepping on the yellow line, which is dangerous according to MRT authority, and then the lady queuing next to me held me and stepped a little behind. See? She understood how I was scared of stepping on the yellow line.

However, I can't remain to be just a spectator or a receiver, I would have to pass it on. One thing I realized is that you need an opportunity to practice RAK and you would never have that opportunity when you always keep to yourself. So go out and be kind to the world. Another thing I realized, though I’m not so sure if this always holds true, is that it’s easier to do RAK to strangers plus there’s an I-feel-good-about-myself factor to it, don’t you think? I just thought that (perhaps, based on experience) when you keep being kind to people close to you, they might get used to it and you end up feeling abused when it’s not voluntary anymore. Just a thought. Anyway, so that’s what I learned from the MRT.

Great News

I’ve decided to write again! It seems like it’s the only thing I can do without a great need for affirmation or moral support. So stay tuned to what I’ve been up to this Summer. And I hope you would also share what you’ve been up to. Happy reading and have a happy Summer.