Toga-toga

It's that time of the year when students are very busy accomplishing their requirements for graduation. When I was assigned at the Cashier's Office, all we had to do was collect the necessary fees. Now that I am here at the bookstore, it's a totally different ball game all together. I just realized that there are so many things to take care of just like:

• printing diplomas (even diploma's for one Surigao School)
• medals
• diploma holders
• seat covers
• gate pass
• souvenir programs for all levels
• and the highlight of today's post: TOGA

Just this morning a colleague of mine called me up and told me that a graduating student posted on Facebook that the toga does not smell good. In our defense, I told him that the moment I was assigned in this office that was the first thing I asked of them. What do we do with the toga? And surprisingly they told me that they used to hand washed it.2000 pieces toga??Hand washed??? You guys must be kidding me! Right then and there I decided to have it washed by a laundry shop for P 20 pesos per kilo(the name I won't discuss because that would be free promotion for them). The office paid Fourteen Thousand Pesos for that. My staff and student assistants were very happy because their hands will not be filled with bruises anymore.

Which brings me to a more pressing fact. Is the toga really that important? Or shall I say is the Toga's smell that important? What does it really stand for (I mean the toga not the smell :) )? 

Good thing we were not required to wear one during college. In my opinion, once you march down that aisle in your toga to the tune of tan-tan-tanan(repeat 1000 times) and accept your coveted diploma (or a piece of paper that looks like one),YOU will be judge not by your hairstyle, or the dress you wear, or your heels, your make up or your perfume or your sweaty toga BUT by what is inside that thing between your ears. Has it accumulated vast knowledge? If YES then, have you considered yourself highly employable for the set of skills you have "mastered"? Have you learned the art of critical thinking by sifting through all the varied information available for you? Are you able to reason your claims with facts you yourself has researched and carefully thought of?

Or were you able to master the art of cheating and plagiarizing just to beat a deadline? Or the right angle of your face which looks good on FB, Twitter or Instagram? Or using up all your allowable absences per subject? Or memorized the names of the cutest hunks in the school or the most handsome dancer in the dance company? Or maximized the use of your iPhone and iPad in garnering highest scores in your favorite games?

It is sad to note if the school produced more of the latter than the former. Your mind should be your crowning glory. Learning has no ending. Even if you have graduated, you will need to learn more and unlearn some.

If not for my college education I wouldn't be where I am today. I will never be afraid to speak up and I will never be afraid to ask the right questions. And most importantly, I will never be ashamed to admit that I don't know everything and that even with a college degree I will still make mistakes and face the consequences thereafter.

As Norman Cousins would put it: It makes little difference how many university courses or degrees a person may own. If he cannot use words to move an idea from one point to another, his education is incomplete.

Make that degree count, not by the amount of pictures or posts, but by doing something outstanding which you will be remembered for.

Welcome to the REAL world graduates!

STARiray

Who classifies one person as famous? Is it the number of friends you have in Facebook or the most number of followers in Twitter? Or is it the number of people who recognize you while you ar having your morning walk on a busy street?

I am not famous and this post is not about that. When I started Twitter last year I realized there is so much to read out there. Since what you see are just bits and pieces of headlines, one has to click the link to be able to read articles. Twitter has helped me especially during the tsunami hoax in Cebu because it was fast and updated.(My brother wouldn't believe me when I told him it was not true.) Thru Twitter I was able to read blogs from famous personalities ranging form fashion blogs, personal blogs and self-confidence-building blogs, for me, one blog stood out. It's Divine Lee's Blog http://www.divinemlee.com/.

One reason is that when you read her blog it's like you are talking to her personally. I am made aware of the trends in the events industry thru her mala teleseryeng pictures and I always look forward to her Red Carpet review.:D Very funny and spontaneous! She is like a star and yet a normal person at the same time. I haven't seen her on TV but reading her entries makes me think I know her better. She has this ability to influence and she relays her messages across clearly specially when it comes to beauty, transformation and gaining confidence along the way.

And today, she posted a tweet regarding the weather. I replied for the first time and she replied back and retweeted my comment!:) Pasok sa banga moment!!! The power of connectivity, I, a mere mortal made sense to a goddess.(murag ana na feeling.haha.) Of course I'm happy! It's like meeting-an-artista-with-pakapin-autograph-and-shirt-happy!https://www.facebook.com/suzette.boholano

Indeed, everything is possible! 
A shy good Christian guy who has a big crush on a gorgeous famous lady CAN have a chance.
An average employee who has inititative CAN be promoted.
A long distance relationship with commitment CAN work.
Couples who are trying CAN have a baby.
A person vying for a life of single blessedness CAN change his/her mind.
A failed grade today CAN be a flat one tomorrow.
Parents CAN be cool.
A home buddy CAN travel around the world. 
An NBSB/NGSB(no boyfriend/girlfriend since birth) CAN get married one day.
I CAN still listen to Taylor Swift even if I'm not in high school anymore. ^_^

This and more, because we have to remember that the world is ours to discover to own and to transform it in a place where we belong.

Ginebra says, "bilog ang mundo", so is a bicycle tire. Up and down is the way we roll. But the movie entitled Upside Down showed that two people from opposite worlds(or dimensions ba to?) CAN make it work. Even Globe Telecoms can ,"make great things possible" and why can't we?

So when you feel like there's this star which is impossible to attain, I suggest you never stop trying. There's a falling star right? Who knows your star might just fall for you. :) In my case, the star looked down on me. To top it all, pray until something happens. Pray that when that star falls you are empty handed and ready to catch it.^_^

Hello weekend! 


P.S. Happy Monthsary Honey! xo

Eskabitche ( for married women only ;) )

To begin with an end in mind, I'm proud to say that I don't have marital problems, I'm very much contented with how my marriage is progressing and I have a wonderful husband whom I love and who loves me back unconditionally. (Praise the Lord) ^_^

That is why without first hand experience I'm utterly flustered why these things happen to good people. And by good people I mean loving wives/husbands(para fair.) The movies live No Other Woman, The Mistress, A Secret Affair not to mention Unfaithful(poor Richard Gere) employ good looking actors and actresses to make the story more interesting but in reality infidelity and unfaithfulness is every married person's worst nightmare.

Being married is never easy but I tell you it's one of the most fulfilling undertaking. It's never constant. You have to work hard for the relationship to flourish from day 1 to forever. Access to temptation is all over the place! YES! Access! If one has to desire it then there are a lot of ways to kill the cat.

Well I've said too much and I'm no expert. I chance upon this blog and I'm positive you'll learn a thing or two. Gang Capati (rockEd advocate) wrote an article/letter meant for a friend worth sharing. It is a word of caution and an eye-opener in a funny way. :)  Highlight on No. 7 :D

http://gangcentral.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/she-asked-me-to-write-her-so-i-did-2/

OZ's OZsome one year ^_^

Back in college, we had this short test which will determine who were CEO material, manager(own business) material and employee material. My results classified me in the employee material. And true enough I am an employee right now but handling a managerial position. I thought well maybe that's the closest I can get to becoming a manager but not of my own business.

Somehow if one is a graduate of a business degree there is really that desire to put up a business of your own. I've had visions before, the things that I think I can do, I'd love to do,then there's risks, capital investments, fear, doubt and the pile thickens leaving you with: It's way cooler to be an employee after all.
 
The business idea was parked in an area with not so clear possibilities of fruition.

Then came an era(mao jud ang term) where everybody wanted themed events! They(SFC pips) would require me to come up with themes and games for the dedication rites, fellowship, etc. Some would also hire me as an emcee for a party, a wedding reception and everything in between. My problem way back then was looking for a dress to match the party's motif since I only had a few. I remember my friend Marie would sponsor some of my dresses and shoes. When I started getting paid, alas!, I was able to "invest" on clothes. :) I can't really say I was popular, the apt term would be was "in-demand" chos!hahahaha. Kidding aside, I was more than delighted to help. It was a way of DE-stressing from a regular job. You become creative and you squeeze your juices, you do research so as not to repeat ideas all over again.

Alrex, my-then-boyfriend-now-husband, told me why not come up with an organizing business. He loves business! He analyzes a lot of things, if you have a hard time making a crucial decision he'd make charts for you to visualize. ^_^ He is awesome that way. I told him I couldn't do it. I have a full time job. I cannot market well. I'm not confident enough. In short I was afraid to fail.

And then Johanna entered the picture. I always tap her in making AVPs for birthday surprises for our friends. I'm the left brain and she's the right brain. She is more creative and relaxed than I am. I'm more into making sure that things will turn out the way I planned it to be. The celebrator MUST be surprised! The background music should be like this, no dead air. And contingency plans are in place. I can't remember how I proposed the business idea but with Joh I felt safer, lesser risks. :)) And she jumped in the boat! So there's two of us who will do the paddling. Lucky for us because our business did not entail heavy investments. We just banked on our God given talents and skills. ;)

We were both God fearing and God loving individuals so we just had to register the business thinking that might not be a good idea if we pay the registration without earning anything.We had to because we were businesswomen now.hehehe. That moment marked the birth of OHZE Events Solutions. OH from Johanna and ZE from Suzette and it also sounded OC(obsessive complusive) which in a way we are when it comes to organizing events. We did not limit it to weddings because we have a lot of competition already in that area. ;)

I'm writing this entry because days from now I can't remember the exact date(will have to check the registration) we will celebrate our one year anniversary!*fireworks* Amazing how time flies! We've met a lot of people. Learned a lot of new tricks(you know what I mean) and we really helped a lot of people with our pro bono cases(lawyer-sounding) :)). We are proud of what we have accomplished. From speed dating, to ad campaigns,to photography workshops(which gave us a chance to be interviewed and shown in TV Patrol CARAGA ahem-ahem), weddings and anniversaries. :)

The trick was to save all our earnings from day 1. :) We didn't spend anything because for us organizing an event is our passion. If we will focus on earning we might lose the OZ magic touch. :)) As a matter of  fact, we will use it to register the business next year and pay our taxes.hahahaha. That's just the way it is. ;)

Dreams do come true. You just need a little push and an increase confidence in yourself.  My mantra is follow where your passion will lead you. You will always love what you do and you will always appreciate the things you learn in the process.And when you LOVE what you, you'll know that you will EXCEL. (in Bisaya, dili kabayran ang kaagi.char.) :))

Thanks to everyone who believed in us. To our client-friends and ever loyal following. :)) 

May the next years be as OZsome too! ^^,

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=259900777441836&set=pb.100002657471442.-2207520000.1352108697&type=3&theater

istorya ni sooseet: F.L.A.M.E.S.

istorya ni sooseet: F.L.A.M.E.S.: Yes! I'm part of the FLAMES generation. We used to match our names with that of our crushes to see if we'll end up as : F riends L overs...

F.L.A.M.E.S.

Yes! I'm part of the FLAMES generation. We used to match our names with that of our crushes to see if we'll end up as:

Friends
Lovers
Admiration(sakto ba?)
Marriage
Engaged 
Sweethearts


But the FLAMES I'm referring to is the one in which we just had to watch at around 2:30 PM from Mondays to Fridays before Ang TV of course. :) Relate? :)

 I will never forget this one episode starring Patrick Garcia and Paula Peralejo. For the lack of cellphones, they exchange messages and stuff through their windows using a basket tied to a 'sort-of-sampayan'. Well that was our "kilig" before. Now Paula's getting married!^_^

Seeing her prenup shots, I can say she is still very pretty. :) And I've been following her on Twitter and she seems to have explored most parts of the Philippines hence the pre nuptial theme.Not really a big fan but I say how she came out from a showbiz career is admirable. Good luck! Wow,she's getting married!:)

Kudos to MangoRed here's the link: http://mangored.com/2010/?p=41755

Wake me up when September ends

9:00 AM
Saturday started with me trying to cook Pasta with Pesto. Its one of my favorites at Pizza Hut and Cafe Caliente. Little did I know that it was way better to order it there. :) Well to make the long story short, the pasta had to many sauce on it which I had to buy additional pasta and the pesto chicken strips. I was able to "fix" it and had it for breakfast this morning. :))

11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
After the cooking ala pesto, had to go ukay-ukay and find a dress. The ones they have are very old in style and/or pricey.:(( Either way I was able to buy a pladed long sleeves which is perfect for this cold weather.

1:30- 4:00 (Fixing pesto part and I won't tell you how ^_^)

5:00 - 8:00
Next stop is Pista in Nasipit! I don't really know the person who invited us but my husband does. The advantage of being married is that you get to attend to these functions and save yourself from cooking( for my husband,skip washing the dishes) :D

But the night did not end there, we promised Jenny and Jr we'd help out with their wedding preparations by getting the functional boxes to lessen their worries for the big day. We went to their apartment and yes it was raining very hard.Had fries and Sundae on the side. I also took the liberty to make a things to do list and finalized their reception program.

Home bound at 11:45 PM. And watch the premiere episode of Person of Interest Season 2. Sooo bitin!


Sunday! Happy Birthday Ate A! :)

Again, we were invited to her birthday celebration in Nasipit.(Deja vu kaayo oi) We had a problem deciding which vehicle to  bring and ended up driving the multicab on my own for the first time but with Alrex following on a different vehicle. It was scary since I'm not so familiar with it but I think I pulled it off just fine.

12:30 - 1:30 Nasipit bound this time around, Alrex on the wheels. The food was sumptuous. :)And we made fun on Myx Music Videos.:p

3:00 Butuan bound.

Apparently, the tire at the driver seat had a slight malfunction that we had to stop and wait for rescue. Well as always Papa came,had problems with what tire fits and what doesn't but in the end we survived! Thank you Lord. But we missed our household meeting. We'll try to be there next time.

6:30-7:30 Mass

7:30 onwards was meet up with friends.

Two things we tried for the first time.O Henry's Grill and Sunflower Bistro and KTV

The Pork Ribs was a great deal since it was unli rice and with free drinks.:)

We had so much fun at the KTV of Sunflower. We take turns in singing so we could divide the fee amongst ourselves. :)

Home bound at 11:45PM. I don't know what happened in between which caused my runny nose today. So much for September, Hello October with a sniff!