Busy as a Bee But Nevertheless Happy!

This holiday season is my favorite time of the year. It has always been the busiest and the most stressful but never has that dampened the holiday cheers!

Busiest and most stressful - because of the parties, gatherings, and reunions we have to prepare for. And since I never really had time to shop ahead of time (due to my work), shopping is done in between events such as:

December 17th - Office Christmas party: A Blockbuster Christas Party in Amber Ultralounge at the Fort

December 18th - kiddo’s birthday (will write a separate post about it)

December 19th - reunion with high school friends

December 20th - our mother company’s Group HR Christmas party

Of course, week after that is Christmas and after that is New Year’s Day.

The most hectic time of the year it is! For this reason, I haven’t had time to sit down and write. Nevertheless, it has always been and always will be my favorite time of the year for it is the best time to share the blessings and reunite with friends and family to celebrate the love of our savior.

I hope everyone had a merry and blessed Christmas! Wishing for all of us to have a happy 2011!

The Sweetest Thing

This is a repost from my old blog, posted November 2009.

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As I was working yesterday, Kiddo was in the other corner of the room playing by the Christmas tree. Yes, the Christmas tree is already up. FYI, we Filipinos have the longest Christmas celebration ever. We start celebrating it as soon as the Ber months (September, October…etc) start. But that’s not what this post is all about…. Going back to my story, Kiddo suddenly came up to me with his hands behind his back. Smiling, he reached out his hands to me revealing the 3 red poinsettia flowers from the tree and said “I love you, Mommy!”

It was very cute and sweet! In response, I hugged him tightly for a little while. I was so touched, I took a break from work to play with him.

Office Politics

Ever since I posted "Life In Plastic...", I started reading about office politics. Here's something I want to share. It has some useful tips to "win" in office politics.

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7 Habits To Win In Office Politics

Office politics – a taboo word for some people. It’s a pervasive thing at the workplace. In it’s simplest form, office politics is simply about the differences between people at work; differences in opinions, conflicts of interests are often manifested as office politics. It all goes down to human communications and relationships.

There is no need to be afraid of office politics. Top performers are those who have mastered the art of winning in office politics. Below are 7 good habits to help you win at the workplace:

HABIT #1 – BE AWARE YOU HAVE A CHOICE

The most common reactions to politics at work are either fight or flight. It’s normal human reaction for survival in the wild, back in the prehistoric days when we were still hunter-gatherers. Sure, the office is a modern jungle, but it takes more than just instinctive reactions to win in office politics. Instinctive fight reactions will only cause more resistance to whatever you are trying to achieve; while instinctive flight reactions only label you as a pushover that people can easily take for granted. Neither options are appealing for healthy career growth.

Winning requires you to consciously choose your reactions to the situation. Recognize that no matter how bad the circumstances, you have a choice in choosing how you feel and react. So how do you choose? This bring us to the next point…

HABIT #2 – KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE

When conflicts happens, it’s very easy to be sucked into tunnel-vision and focus on immediate differences. That’s a self-defeating approach. Chances are you’ll only invite more resistance by focusing on differences in people’s positions or opinions.

The way to mitigate this without looking like you’re fighting to emerge as a winner in this conflict is to focus on the business objectives. In the light of what’s best for the business, discuss the pros and cons of each option. Eventually, everyone wants the business to be successful; if the business don’t win, then nobody in the organization wins. It’s much easier for one to eat the humble pie and back off when they realize the chosen approach is best for the business.

By learning to steer the discussion in this direction, you will learn to disengage from petty differences and position yourself as someone who is interested in getting things done. Your boss will also come to appreciate you as someone who is mature, strategic and can be entrusted with bigger responsibilities.

HABIT #3 – FOCUS ON YOUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

At work, there are often issues which we have very little control over. It’s not uncommon to find corporate policies, client demands or boss mandates which affects your personal interests. Bitching and complaining are common responses to these events that we cannot control. But think about it, other than that short term emotional outlet, what tangible results do bitching really accomplish? In most instances, none.

Instead of feeling victimized and angry about the situation, focus on the things that you can do to influence the situation – your circle of influence. This is a very empowering technique to overcome the feeling of helplessness. It removes the victimized feeling and also allows others to see you as someone who knows how to operate within given constraints. You may not be able to change or decide on the eventual outcome, but you can walk away knowing that you have done the best within the given circumstances.

Constraints are all around in the workplace; with this approach, your boss will also come to appreciate you as someone who is understanding and positive.

HABIT #4 – DON’T TAKE SIDES

In office politics, it is possible to find yourself stuck in between two power figures who are at odds with each other. You find yourself being thrown around while they try to outwit each other and defend their own position. All at the expense of you getting the job done. You can’t get them to agree on a common decision for a project, and neither of them want to take ownership of issues; they’re too afraid they’ll get stabbed in the back for any mishaps.

In cases like this, focus on the business objectives and don’t take side with either of them – even if you like one better than the other. Place them on a common communication platform and ensure open communications among all parties so that no one can claim “I didn’t say that”.

By not taking sides, you’ll help to direct conflict resolution in an objective manner. You’ll also build trust with both parties. That’ll help to keep the engagements constructive and focus on business objectives.

HABIT #5 – DON’T GET PERSONAL

In office politics, you’ll get angry with people. It happens. There will be times when you feel the urge to give that person a piece of your mind and teach him a lesson. Don’t.

People tend to remember moments when they were humiliated or insulted. Even if you win this argument and get to feel really good about it for now, you’ll pay the price later when you need help from this person. What goes around comes around, especially at the work place.

To win in the office, you’ll want to build a network of allies which you can tap into. The last thing you want during a crisis or an opportunity is to have someone screw you up because they habour ill-intentions towards you – all because you’d enjoyed a brief moment of emotional outburst at their expense.

Another reason to hold back your temper is your career advancement. Increasingly, organizations are using 360 degree reviews to promote someone.

Even if you are a star performer, your boss will have to fight a political uphill battle if other managers or peers see you as someone who is difficult to work with. The last thing you’ll want is to make it difficult for your boss to champion you for a promotion.

HABIT #6 – SEEK TO UNDERSTAND, BEFORE BEING UNDERSTOOD

The reason people feel unjustified is because they felt misunderstood. Instinctively, we are more interested in getting the others to understand us than to understand them first. Top people managers and business leaders have learned to suppress this urge.

Surprisingly, seeking to understand is a very disarming technique. Once the other party feels that you understand where he/she is coming from, they will feel less defensive and be open to understand you in return. This sets the stage for open communications to arrive at a solution that both parties can accept. Trying to arrive at a solution without first having this understanding is very difficult – there’s little trust and too much second-guessing.

HABIT #7 – THINK WIN-WIN

As mentioned upfront, political conflicts happen because of conflicting interests. Perhaps due to our schooling, we are taught that to win, someone else needs to lose. Conversely, we are afraid to let someone else win, because it implies losing for us.

In business and work, that doesn’t have to be the case.

Learn to think in terms of “how can we both win out of this situation?” This requires that you first understand the other party’s perspective and what’s in it for him. Next, understand what’s in it for you. Strive to seek out a resolution that is acceptable and beneficial to both parties. Doing this will ensure that everyone truly commit to the agree resolution and not pay only lip-service to it.

People simply don’t like to lose. You may get away with win-lose tactics once or twice, but very soon, you’ll find yourself without allies in the workplace. Thinking win-win is an enduring strategy that builds allies and help you win in the long term.

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Will try to post something Christmas-y next time.

Crab Nebula

Kiddo: Mommy, I want to go to the outerspace... because I want to see the crab nebula.

Someone's watching Discovery Channel.

Shopping Spree Friday

Bought shoes today!!!

My gift to myself.

The Frugal Preschooler

Just before I tucked my little boy in bed last night, I asked him what he wants for his birthday.

“I saw a big remote control SUV in Inang’s store,” he said. 

Inang has a tenant that sells toys and school supplies.

“But if that is expensive, don’t buy it anymore. I’m ok with Ben10 drums…”

And he went on…

“If that is also expensive, it’s okay, they also have Vilgax [action figure].”

With that, I kissed him good night with a promise that one of those toys will be his on his birthday.

As a mom, I'm so proud that at his age he’s already conscious of how he should spend money. Plus he's ready with a contingency plan and didn't stop at option 2!

30 Rocks!

Musings

When I was a teenager, I thought 20 years old IS OLD. 

When I turned 20, I said, “No, it’s still a young age. 30... that'll be old!”  

Now that I just turned 30, I realized, age is just a number after all. *wink*

Overall, I am happy and contented with my life. As they say, happiness doesn’t mean having what you want but wanting what you have. It’s not having a perfect life but accepting the imperfections in life.

Looking at my life now, I may not have a perfect marriage, a perfect job, or a perfect family… but I’m perfectly happy.

The Celebration

It was a simple celebration with the family. Inang, Kuya, and Ate with my nephews including their dog came. It was almost an all day get-together. We had wine and cheese in the afternoon and pizza and beer at night!  Is that weird?

Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic

No, no, no... I’m not talking about Barbie.  I’m talking about “the plastics”.  

In the corporate world, although people are well-educated, there are times they tend to forget their values. They hurt people just to appear as though they're the only ones doing their job to earn the trust of the boss and get promoted. 

Beware of them. They pretend to be caring and kind but behind your back they are hitting you with mud. They will pose as someone you can trust but one day you will realize they are stabbing you hard without any intention of keeping you alive. 

Be careful, they’re very dangerous.

Thankful

For a soul mate who has been with me for more than half my life… who has loved me for me and in spite of me… and still continues to fill my life with so much love…

For a child who brings out the best in me and inspires me to be the best I can be…

For a mom who loves her children unconditionally...

For a sister who inherited her mom's selflessness...

For a father who made me strong and level-headed…

For a family that loves singing, drinking and being happy…

For a job that keeps me on my toes (and made me start blogging again)…

For friends who helped me know myself better, listened (and are still ready to listen) to my life’s dramas and those who still remember and take time to to say hi or go out for lunches, dinners, or coffee despite their busy lives…

For holidays, celebrations and long weekends... 

For everyone who has touched my life in one way or another…

For everyone whom I love and everyone who loves me…

For all the blessings, challenges, and everything in between.

For everything in my life.

Movie Date

We watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows last Saturday! Didn’t really like it. I. LOVE. IT! Being young at heart, hubby and I are both fans of Harry Potter books and based on what we saw we can say that compared to the other HP movies, this installment was the most faithful adaptation. I’d say it’s indeed darker and the colors are muted. But I can understand why that has to be because I read the book. It was the dark times and the beginning of the war. Would have been weird if it’s still all too colorful and whimsical. I’m no movie critic but for me overall it’s a great movie.

This is Fun!

Kiddo’s field trip was last Thursday. We went to 3 locations: Kulturang Pinoy, Ark Avilon Zoo and Enchanted Kingdom.

As usual, he wasn’t into activities that entail performance in front of a crowd so he’s not in these kulturang pinoy pics. They had the kids dance folk dances and play old pinoy games.



Second stop was Ark Avilon. He definitely enjoyed playing with the birds and feeding the rabbits and sheeps. He was also excited to see the lions, leopards, and tigers.

He had the most fun at Enchanted Kingdom. “This is fun!” were his exact words. He enjoyed the rides I thought he wouldn't.

It's field trip season so many buses of students arrived and as the hours passed, the lines became longer and longer so we weren't able to get into some rides like the roller coaster. So we're definitely coming back.

Despite the long lines and aching feet, kiddo had so much fun.

Side Tracks

Irate Employee

Office friend 1 got pissed with a certain someone; so pissed she'd want to get rid of her. Can't blame her 'coz most of the time, this certain someone doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing. It seems that she’s spreading herself too thin, taking on a lot of things that apparently she can’t handle.

Extra Love Affair
Office friend 2 currently has love problems. Just recently her boyfriend is turning cold and she’s trying to reach out to no avail. Apparently earlier this year, they’ve had the same issue and she caught the guy red handed with another woman. After then they broke up but got back together after a couple of months. Knowing the guy’s track record, Office friend 2 can’t help but think he’s doing it again. Sad thing is that they have a daughter.

Is being in a monogamous relationship really that hard? Why are there men who can’t avoid having an affair outside their relationship?

Mojito
Office friend 3 is celebrating her birthday and took us out for a drink after work. We had one round of mojito and several rounds of chitchats.

What's On My Mind
I still got my fingers crossed for a movie date on Saturday. I really want to watch HP7. But before Saturday, there is tomorrow! Tomorrow is kiddo's field trip and we got to wake up earlier than usual... and on that note, I got hit Publish now so I can hit the sack.

Celebrating Life and New Beginnings

Hubby and I went to one of my best friends’ birthday dinner last night at Balducci in Serendra.


It was a celebration of life and new beginnings. Aside from it being the celebration of EP's birthday, it’s also the beginning of a new chapter in his life – life after cancer.

He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a year ago and underwent treatment. During those trying times, his faith and optimism never wavered. To me, he is the epitome of hope and courage. He’s one of the reasons why I try not to complain about little misfortunes and made me realize how ephemeral life is and to value all the blessings and relationships I have.

With his new chapter, I’m also constantly reminded that God is indeed good all the time.

Thank you for being an inspiration, EP.

Party Planning

To party or not to party? That is the question.

I’m just starting to plan kiddo’s 5th birthday celebration. For the past 4 years, we’ve always had a birthday party for him. We celebrated his 1st birthday at Shakey’s, 2nd birthday at McDonald’s, 3rd birthday at Jollibee, and 4th at his school.

Now I’m thinking not throw a party this year because of what happened last year. Kiddo wasn’t so into it and was frowning almost the entire time although he started smiling towards the end especially when he saw the gifts.

So initially, I was thinking of just spending it at Enchanted Kingdom, a local theme park. When I told him about it, he got excited. But just a couple of weeks ago, we found out that their school is already going there for their field trip this November. That’s why I’m now back to the drawing board.

One of the things I'm considering is a simple family outing at a beach resort in Batangas (or anywhere near Metro Manila). I thought about this because he enjoyed our Boracay trip last September and he even suggested we go back there for his birthday. He enjoyed that trip so much he didn’t want to go home.

But that’s just too expensive so I'm thinking maybe Batangas, Subic, or somewhere nearer the city. 

I'm also thinking of a simple celebration - maybe just go somewhere in the metro and have a simple family dinner with our extended families.

Let’s see how it will pan out. Anyway, I still have 6 weeks.

Hubby's Laurels

Hubby works at a call center that caters to US clients; hence, he ought to work nights.  Having this kind of arrangement takes a lot of getting used to. We really make an effort to see each other on a daily basis.  Good thing is that we work in the same building so it’s easier for us to be able to say “hi and bye” at night before he start his shift while in the morning we have breakfast together, talk and catch up.  He exerts effort in coming to the office earlier than his shift and going home as soon as his work is done.  Yeah, I know, too good to be true... But even before we got married, he’s always been this dedicated to me and now to our family.

That’s why I’m really proud and happy of his latest achievement.  Just last week, he was chosen to be part of an elite team at work.  I’m so happy for him seeing that he finally had the chance of being promoted.  In his previous job, he waited for years to have this opportunity which he never had until the time he jumped ship.  To be fair to him, he also didn’t see it as a career when he started so he never applied for higher posts. But when he finally decided he wanted to move up, although he tried, it wasn’t given to him.

He’s really smart, dedicated, and hard working so I’m glad he got this well-deserved promotion only after a couple of months with his current employer.  Just proves he’s really good and his previous employer sucks.

The Moon and Stars Can Tell

There’s this astrology website I learned from my friend. He recommended it because according to him some of the predictions came true for him.  Not that I believe the site but I became a regular monthly visitor to check if there’s something nice for me there.  My November horoscope is really interesting.  It said something that may be aligned to what’s happening to me and so I’m hoping for things to go as predicted.

These are my favorite parts:

With Mars in Sagittarius all month, you will have all the courage, drive, and determination to get what you want. Others will say you have become a model of productivity and you'll feel that way! By the third week of November, you'll likely get an important nod to move ahead on a key new endeavor or relationship. No more waiting!

Mars will be in Sagittarius all month, giving you the open road to begin a whole new cycle - take full advantage! You will be filled with determination to succeed, which is why you will!

Horoscope aside, I’ve been praying for my lateral move to happen soon.  My transfer had been approved a month or 2 ago under one condition-- they want for me to find my replacement. One of my friends at work even jokes that it’s hard for someone to take my place. Therefore, my most awaited transfer won’t happen anymore.

After looking and looking, I finally found one who passed the assessment but the big BUT there is that they want to try him out first, which means I will still have to wait. Too bad!  So seriously, I’m hoping and praying for the bosses to realize NOW that they need me more in the other team so that I can FINALLY move on.      

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Another crazy week passed.  It’s been a tiring yet fulfilling week for me as a mom, wife and recruiter.

Kiddo got high marks from his 2^nd quarterly exams! Yey!

His grade in Filipino improved compared to the first quarter.

Hubby was handpicked to be part of an elite team at work. 

He’ll have Sunday off this week! Another yey!

I was able to line up good candidates for some of my ageing requirements… meaning less headache and less heartache.

Oh and Inang got her voice back… got better from cough and colds.

Time to rest this weekend and spend more quality time with the family. Happy times!

Wonder Woman

Work stuff has been crazy.  Sometimes I feel that my bosses think I’m Wonder Woman and that I can do anything. 

But still... I gotta be thankful I have work. 

World's Greatest Dad

We went to the cemetery today to visit my dad's and bro’s resting place. Dad passed away a few months after college. I remember a couple of days prior to his passing he even teased me to buy him lechon paksiw. It was a good thing I did oblige and bought him lunch that day. Little did I know that that would be his last request from me.

Looking back I thought dad was too strict and too stiff. Now that I now have my own little boy I appreciate all the things he did for me. For all the “mean” things he did to me, I learned all the values I now cherish and would also want to pass on to my own child.

Wherever you are Tatang, I love you.