stories, stories and more stories

How can you say no to a person who’s asking for your donation on a monthly basis?  Sounds easy, you would probably shun them away but not when you see someone wearing a UNICEF ID and he starts mentioning inconvenient Philippine figures:

200 children die of malnutrition and sickness everyday.

Out of 10 students who enter in Grade 1, only 6 are able to finish grade 6, and only 4 graduate from high school.

UNICEF is actively addressing these issues, in fact it’s the largest group to do so in the Philippines.  BTW, I had to call up their main office to verify the representative.  It’s not really everyday that someone just drops by the office asking you to donate something via credit card.

Sigh.  I hope my monthly donation would make a difference.  If only I were a multi-billionaire.

I dragged myself to the conservatory early this morning to get my enrolment assessment form, I just can’t accept the fact that I only have one subject to take for this term. The north wing conservatory was converted to the registrar’s satellite office, I got my EAF fresh from the printer.

Part of me didn’t want to go to the accounting office to settle my bills. I was still hoping to get my second subject approved and so I explained my situation to the registrar who printed my EAF. He referred me to the other counter, I instantly recognized the lady stationed there since she’s the one I talked to yesterday in the registrar’s office. Anyway, I talked to her still and explained my side, if it’s possible to override the system. She said that the adjustment was done with yesterday and if there’s still a need to do that I will need to see the college academic assistant. That gave me a faint glimmer of hope and I was willing to take it. And so I marched all the way to the 16th floor of the tallest educational structure in the Philippines.

There was a line of students waiting for their turn to see the AA. After a few minutes I was able to talk to Ms.Ivy, and she was helpful enough to instruct the secretary of the department to call the professor and the head for their permission to include one more student in the roster since it’s already reached its maximum capacity of 40 students. She instructed me to go to Ms.Tina which I obliged to willingly. Upon arrival there she instantly recognized me and asked me to go back to Ms.Ivy after two hours. It was 11:30am then, but I cannot complain since I’m the one asking for a favor. I burnt time by staying in the computer lab.

I was groggy at this point since I’m working the graveyard shift. At 1:20 I was waiting outside the doors of the College of Education in anticipation of a good news from Ms.Ivy. I was first in line actually when a group of Korean students marched inside her office as if there were no students waiting in line. Boy, did I hate them. After the first Korean student had stepped out of the office I went straight inside to see Ms.Ivy. She asked what subject I would like to add to which I replied TCP4206, and she encoded the rest and she instructed me to go to the conservatory to get my new EAF.

It’s already 2:00pm when I got my new EAF. It’s time to pay the bill; last Saturday I called up BPI to re-allocate my SIP and regular credit limit so I can get my tuition via Cash Advance. So I went to the Vito Cruz cor. Taft Ave. branch to do my transaction, but unfortunately all three machines only replied “transaction cancelled” so I had to go to the next nearest branch right in front of St.Scholastica. The ATM was working but when I attempted to withdraw, the machine said “wrong pin” - come to think of it, I really can’t recall my PIN for the credit card. So they referred me to the EGI branch just beside DLSU but I thought it was the one just across the Bro.Andrew Hall, so their representative gave me instructions to go to EGI. I actually knew where EGI was, it just didn’t occur to me that there is a branch inside the said tower. Anyhow, when I got there I asked to have my credit card PIN changed but to my dismay their machine was out of order, she referred me to their Padre Faura branch. She was offering another option and that’s to avail of the SIP to cash thingie but it would take another day. Another bad news, she said that if I change my PIN it will only take effect the next day. That means surcharge, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

So off I went to BPI Padre Faura. I had my PIN changed, and I was advised that it’ll take effect the following morning. Just as I was about to leave, I asked the representative who facilitated my request for PIN change if it can be expedited, explaining that today’s the last day of paying the tuition and tomorrow would mean additional surcharge. She got my card and started tinkering on her keyboard. In less than a minute she told me to try it in the machine, I did and it worked, I can’t thank the rep enough but I did them a favor of giving them a good CSAT.

Back to DLSU. I paid my tuition for two subjects and I’ve classes starting tomorrow. Recalling everything that happened today, I still can’t believe I was able to enroll myself in the closed class.

A term has just passed by and after hardly a week of supposedly sem break I found myself in the school grounds to adjust my schedule for the upcoming second term which is about to start in two days — uhm, make that a day as of this writing. I had accepted the fact that I am only to take two subjects the following term due to the sudden change in the course curriculum as explained by the department chair; I was actually hoping I can get three subjects but apparently it’s beyond my control as only two subjects for TCP is available for the term (well, there are three in reality but I’ve already taken one of the subjects being offered).

But then again it’s so frustrating to know that one of the only two subjects I’ll be taking is already closed and I found out about it only today — in effect, I only have one subject for the second term. Back in my college days, it was easy for a registrar to override the system and include you in the class that’s if you know someone from the office. And so I looked for the chorale’s best friend in the registrar’s office but to my disappointment I was unable to find him, er, her, I meant… never mind. Sigh. Unfortunately, Joan has already resigned.

Anyway, I tried approaching a registrar in the hope that s/he can do what Joan did for the group before, to squeeze me in the already filled class. While waiting in line I found Linel, my classmate in two of the TCP classes I took the previous sem. At least by talking to her she was able to dissipate my already mounting disappointment in the system. Thank God she came by as well as Alex.

Then came my turn to peek into that small glass window hole where this unfamiliar registrar sat to which I murmured my little plea. Hindi raw pedeng gawin yun. Oh boy. Was she adamant. And now I’ll spend the next sem with only one subject to finish.

Argh. Hail to De La Salle indeed.

I can’t comprehend why they can’t make an exception just for one student alone. I mean, at least one student will have to drop out as the term goes along and that should compensate for the excess number of students in the class. I just wish they could’ve made that leeway after all I’m paying them the astronomical fees they squeeze out of my wallet. So much for the start of the second term.

It’s been quite a while since my last blog entry and I wish that the circumstances behind this one were any better.



For the first time in my life, I felt that the streets were unsafe. I had been assaulted.



I was on my way to the office late in the evening. Getting off the jeep at McDonald’s T.Sora corner Commonwealth Avenues, I sped my way to the bus stop. Suddenly, I felt that someone hit my butt where my wallet was and so I was alarmed that it could be an attempt to steal my wallet thus I turned my head towards the back. I saw two guys in their early 20s clad in the usual pambahay a la street basketball attire; one of them just said “Sir” as if it were a greeting because he was smiling. I found it weird, but I tried to shrug it off and went on to the bus stop. These two guys then walked towards Shell station and I looked by them. When they walked past me (probably 5 meters), this guy looked back with that provocative what’s your problem look and posed like he’s going back for me. With that, I pointed at the police station just across the street (the one just below the fly-over), suggesting that I can call the police’s attention anytime and hoping it would deter him from doing something foolish. Then the guy suddenly rushed towards me with his fist already on the air – he’s attacking and I was able to block his attack with my right arm. I called upon the police who was standing by outside the station and they came to my assistance. While all this was happening the two guys turned around and started to walk away as if nothing happened. The police asked me what had happened, I told them “sinuntok nya ako!”, so they went on arresting the guys.




I found myself in front of the police desk waiting for my assailant. When he finally arrived, the police started questioning, my name, what I was doing there, and what happened. He did the same thing to my attacker. It’s really funny how criminals can twist the truth. Nabangga lang daw nila ako, tapos misunderstanding. Who the fock are they kidding? The police asked for any proof of identity, so I brought out my school ID. I was clad in office clothes, the two were obviously wearing their pambahay and basketball jerseys. He apparently is a UP student on his 5th year taking up education, and also a member of the soft ball varsity team.



I asked the police for my options, which I purposedly did so my attacker would know the gravity of his offense. The police took a look if I sustained any injury, which I didn’t have since I was able to block his punch. But who would have known what could have happened if I didn’t call the police. Since there’s no injury, the police said I can file for unjust vexation, or in Tagalog, pang-iinis. Hey, I was attacked! I find the charge absurd! And from there, I knew I have the upper hand since the police said that the outcome of the case depends on what the complainant will decide upon.



Here are the facts of the case: I was attacked but I didn’t have any bruising. I probably wouldn’t get myself any witness as the people around during the incident were also passengers and when I got out of the precinct they were no longer there. The area was dark. I have two assailants telling a different story. All I have is character - I am not in the influence of alcohol and I am only well-dressed. Will I be able to pull a case?



It was then that I remembered a colleague’s case in Makati a few months ago. He was in a bar with his friends and then some guys hit them with a jacket and got bruised. He was able to file assault charges and the assailant was fined P10,000.00.



And so I mustered my courage and told them I can bring this to court and I will have them convicted of assault. I told them the consequences of such that if they get convicted of a crime it’ll go down to his NBI clearance which will ruin his chance to get a job, and that he will be fined P10,000.00 if he is found guilty of the crime. I can and I will.



At this point, the suspect became sober, realizing the gravity of his offense. Ika nga e parang basang sisiw asking for pardon. He was reaching for my hand, begging not to press charges since he’s a graduating student, that he was under the influence because he was having a little drink in anticipation of the end of the term when he finally finishes his studies. Because at least we have a thing in common, that is, we’re into education (well, at least I am still in the making as I am currently taking up my education units in La Salle) I felt that I had to connect to him and give him a memorable lesson. I gave him a little sermon of my own, that being an educator, he has a moral responsibility to become a model for his students – certainly, this act was not tolerable. I also expressed my disappointment that an iskolar ng bayan would do such a thing because I have good friends from Peyups and that’s where most of my rather good teachers in college happened to come from.



The more my assailant begged for pardon upon hearing these. I think that hit the spot, I have connected to him. Logic tells me to pursue the case, but I am not willing to ruin this student’s life just because of youthful capriciousness; after all, we do stupid mistakes in our lives once in a while. This has already been put in the blotter and I can reactivate the case anytime I want to, or if a similar case is filed involving him. My assailant will walk free for the meantime.



He wanted to get my number and so he can give me his UP ID once he finishes his study as a token of appreciation which I refused. I just told him that if he really appreciates this act of mercy he will show it to others. He insisted to get my contact details so he can show his appreciation to me, but I told him that I want him to do something great for others instead and that if he does so word will reach me wherever I am. And I hope he does so, otherwise I just made a terrible mistake.

One of the worst feelings in the world is not having a definite feeling at one point, or to be more specific, actually being confused because of a lot of events happening around you that you don’t have enough time to savor each experience.

Last Thursday I got news from a colleague he’s had a clash with his supervisor because of promotion issues… well, to start with he is after all, it’s due time that he gets promoted because he has proven himself for the past year or so, and as a supe of his team he would only get a whopping 3% of his annual salary — considering that in all his appraisals he got a perfect score with no areas of improvement indicated on the manager’s comments, not to mention that in Philippine standards, 3% is taken more of an insult rather than a compliment.  Being a diplomat that he is, he discussed this with his US-based Vietnamese boss who everyone is having problems communicating with due to accent issues (oh, BTW, this idiotic boss is leading the Accent Neutralization team — how ironic could this be?).  To cut the story short, this colleague of mine only felt more that he isn’t being appreciated and is thus already very keen to look for other opportunities outside our company.  I felt so downed knowing how this person was treated, and how foreigners especially those in the US could be so stringent with their budget that they are unable to understand our own culture.  I felt so helpless because I can’t do anything about it even if I wanted to — I can’t escalate this to their over-all boss since she has an inclination towards the supervisor and I already had clashed with her before trying to negotiate salaries for her different positions.  I felt so downed because it not only affected him but also his entire team and now the threat is there that they will leave in a matter of weeks or months and I had to look for their replacement; I hate seeing good people leave.

Speaking of leaving, I just had another colleague who left last Friday.  Good person really, and one of the first ones to arrive in the company as well, too bad he can’t take the GY shift anymore.  So I was downed further.

Now on the lighter note, I got news that my mortal enemy in the company is leaving soon.  This person got a lot complaints from almost everybody and we had some of her cases escalated but with no positive results being the liar and manipulative b*tch that she is; I can say that she is one of the most unethical people that I’ve met in my entire life.  I had been looking forward to her removal since mid-last year and a lot had happened since then, and it sure will be a good news if she does get fired however when this news came I was unmoved because of the previous dilemma that I have.  Good riddance if I may say so, and her loss is only just and fair, but thinking of the AN team involving 3 innocent and performing people and their highly probably exodus is senseless and more painful that I didn’t have time to rejoice over her resignation.

Another good news came in later that day… my proposal for the company outing has been approved. This meant the people under my group will enjoy something this summer.

And so, having told all these, I am unsure at the end of the day what I should really feel.  Should I be happy because my enemy’s already leaving?  Should I be sad because my colleague is misunderstood, unappreciated and is planning to leave the companyalong with 2 other colleagues and I can’t do anything about it?  Should I feel happy because my team has finally a company outing to look forward to this summer?  :(  *sigh*

Milenyo (international name Xangsane) hit Manila hard, and it’s my first time to experience the wrath of a full-fledged storm inside a high-rise building.  Since RCBC is retrofitted, it swayed to the 100+ kmh high-speed winds that slammed against the most intelligent infrastructure in the Philippines.  I felt the glass bend over and over again as I put my palm flat on the middle of the window while Milenyo’s power repeatedly pounded against it.  I was afraid the window may collapse and just like in the movies be sucked out as if the building were decompressing.

It’s amazing to see how the rain flew past us horizontally because of the winds, much like what one sees from inside a flying plane when it’s raining hard outside.

It was only upon returning home that I saw how destructive the storm was.  Debris everywhere, branches broken, trees toppled down, power outage, and the worst so far — billboards fallen.  This particular billboard near Estrella caused so much damage, it fell unto several vehicles and also tore the building’s facade, and I learned from the driver of the cab my officemate and I used to ride home last night that people were crushed to their death inside those vehicles. :(  Come to think of it, it could have been anyone of us.  I pity the bereaved members of their families.

It’s also amazing how the weather totally turned around today, the sun rose as if there were no storm the day before.  As the FX rolled its way to work, the light of day revealed the path of destruction Milenyo has left — everything was totally different from the dark of night.  Anyways, life must go on… and thus I went about with my business for the day — hit the recruitment targets; and so I was able to.  Thank God!!! =)

God grants us what we ask for in His own time, as long as we put our trust in Him and provided that what we ask for is in accordance to His will.

Our HR Manager spilled the beans late this morning that I will be promoted from Recruiter to HR Officer for Corporate Recruitment soon, probably before the day ends… I’ve mixed feelings really.  On one part, I feel happy, my prayers have finally been answered — prayers that seem to have been running unheard when I was still with PS.  Here are my thoughts regarding the promotion:

PROs: I need not stay long in the office; higher base pay =)  This is my chance to have a life!!!

CONs: No more OT pay!!! No more holiday pay!!! No more night diff!!!

Being as it is, it is with a humble heart that I accept this position and with gratitude, I thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed and is continually bestowing upon me.  With new horizon comes new challenges, and I ask for the grace to carry on and meet them head-on.

Oh, and that leads us to new opportunities as I assume this new position, the one I have left behind opens a new door for someone else! =)  This is the chance to begin saving my friends!

I’ve observed that everything seems to be falling in place lately — for as long as I put my trust in Him, and also with the unfailing help of our Perpetual Mother.  There’s just one more prayer that I ask with fervour (well, only a few selected people know this request)… I guess it’s only a matter of time as well

Just got back from Boracay… I felt like I’ve hardly had a vacation considering I was there for 4 days and 3 nights.  Anyway, my body’s sore from butt down to the legs perhaps because of all the walking and jogging and running, oh , and not to mention the flying fish!  That’s one hell of a ride!

Anyhow, I’m back here at work… actually, work was not far away from me during my stay in the island paradise.  Office called to ask for my opinion on certain recruitment matters… I hardly relaxed knowing that my ramp still lacks 1 more person to join on Sep.18, with only 1 day remaining, all because one applicant did not show up for the job offer.  Screw him!  Needless to say he’s on my blacklist now… I’m just thankful at least I had Claire to cover for the days I was away=)

Bringing tons and tons of bottled fresh water took the toll on me upon arrival in Boracay.  I just slept the whole afternoon and then we all went out to have our dinner in… I think that was d*mall.  Afterwards we went to the beach to just lie down and took pictures as well.  So much for the first day… I also had my first henna tattoo on the right arm. =)

The next day, I went jogging along the beach and burnt 2 kilometer’s worth of calories.  Then after returning to Ban’s, we spent the morning frolicking in the beach, then transferred to our free accommodations by lunch time; some  went to the Pearl while Jude and I went straight to Willy’s.  Later in the afternoon, some of our friends from PS started arriving… goody, more fun! =)  That’s when we decided to ride the flying fish since I already had the chance to ride on the banana boat a few months ago way back in Subic.  I thought it was fun, and it was, although the ride was really violent and I was tossed up and down, left and right, thrown against my friends and ultimately against the water.  Now that I recall it, I guess that’s the cause of my muscle pains now.  Then we had dinner in this Mexican restaurant called Mañana… the food was great, the ambiance as well, but I guess what really made it different was those who were present there at the table — upon our arrival on the first day we were only 5, now there were 13 people.  Kinda makes you feel the last supper. hehehe.  Kidding aside, I was in the company of friends so in short, masaya.

We went island hopping the next day, so I’ve had the chance to see the rest of Bora and what’s underneath its waters.  Snorkelling was really fun, I never saw Domino clownfish that big and that many before!  Not to mention parrot fish, ewa blenny, and butterfly fish, moray eel… geez, my aquarium geek side’s taking over me again…

The sunset was really breathtaking… it’s one of those moments you wish you have that someone with you just by your side.  *sniff*  Heto na naman ako…

There are a lot of things that can be done on the island and time seems to fly so fast, and before I know it I’m packing my bag already.  My flight is at 10am the next day, the rest of the group is at 2pm (and later that day I learned the flight was moved to 4pm… ang daya nila!!!) still so this means I have to leave the island around 6am while everyone’s still sound asleep.

Bora is definitely a place to be… in fact, I’m already making plans for next year! ;-)  I just wish work won’t be hounding me then… and my PS friends would also be free as well, both those with whom I were with and those whom we’ve left behind in Manila.

Gosh, 4 days to go ’til Bora… I’m really excited at this point since it’s my first trip to the said island paradise and I’ve heard lots and lots of good things about it from my friends and tons and tons of other people.  I’m so excited in fact I’m already packing my stuff! :)  I’m just glad I’m going to spend it with a few friends I’ve found in my previous company in its then Golden Age… though I’m sure it would be more fun if everyone else were to join us. *sigh*