Motivating the Graduates of 2008

For this year’s graduation, an Alma Mater invited me to be their guest speaker. The first time it was announced to me by a former mentor who now works as Admissions Officer in the institution, I felt more apprehensive than excited because as a young civil servant who’s still pursuing a college degree, I don’t think I deserve the merit as compared to what most would expect of commencement speakers – those who have impressive academic and professional achievements. Even so, they said they wanted an alumnus to be the guest speaker and since the school is more of a technical learning center than a formal college, a stable job in the industry I guess gauges the success of their graduates.

The big day came and I did my job as speaker. I delivered the message which I prepared for a couple of days making sure that it doesn’t sound too scholarly and wouldn’t exceed 15 minutes; something I myself as an audience could relate to and endure. I just provided some personal pointers about knowing one’s passion and strengths, going the extra mile, the importance of listening and never taking things for granted. To make my young audience at ease, I shared my personal experience how I was nobody in high school belonging to the bottom of the class before I became the better student that the institution knew. I also injected sufficient humor (isn’t it evident in the photos?) and refreshed their attention by asking questions that would make them raise hands. It was a choice to include just a little something of the theme about how business and IT provides boundless opportunities because I don’t want to elaborate on something everybody have an idea about. Thankfully, I still achieved my goal on substance and the time frame.

This experience was truly a privilege: to be warmly welcomed, be given a proud entrance by passing through crossed swords (my sibling was one of the cadets and she had a share of the limelight answering queries from her curious colleagues), see my name on a tarp, be seated next to distinguished officials, receive a standing ovation, shake hands with all the graduates and have the lion’s share of a sumptuous dinner. Above all these is the opportunity to be reunited with people who I know believe in me.

BD's Birthday

BD is my boss’ son; he turned five today. I do have fond moments with this lad so even though at his age all he can do with the computer is watch kiddy videos and play games, I’m dedicating this post for him.

Here are among my best memories with BD:

• For quite some time, he would often stop by my area upon arrival (as if a courtesy visit) before proceeding to his mom’s to show me one or two toy cars from his collection that he brought that day or those very good star stamps he earned at school. Now, he knows he ought to say hi to his mom first.
• Once, he was at our office early morning and I was on the phone when he climbed on my chair, found the chocolate drink I bought for breakfast and sipped until the box is empty. That happened in a minute.
• He used to always borrow the Transformer toys I got free with some meal from a fastfood store until he broke it but during when he still loved playing with it, he would open my drawers to search for Optimus Prime and Barricade when he didn’t see them where he expected to. He does that even if he comes in late and I’m already out of the office. Next day, my boss would tell me that she had to arrange the mess of my desk because of BD’s scavenging.
• The little décor tree on my desk that he borrows to provide shade for his toy cars’ parking, he once placed in the pot of a real plant by our door. I only noticed when I poured old water from my drinking bottle. On a separate instance by the way, he borrowed my staple remover and pretended that it’s an herbivorous monster that gnawed the real plant.

He would always rush to see the photo even before the camera captures us. For this reason, I wasn’t able to focus my phone well to fit us both and I wasn’t able to retake either because he’s just too excited. Anyway, he’s the star today.

Oh well BD boy, happy birthday still.

Trees for a Birthday Gift

For the second consecutive year, a tree-planting activity was organized through the efforts of our Ecology Center as part of the celebration of the birthday of our incumbent Chairman.

Despite the grilling heat and blinding glare of the sun, this one had been more fun. Last year, our department was assigned in a shady part and had planted a few seedlings hence the only challenge was maintaining balance while working on the slope. Recently, we were assigned in a longer stretch and had planted more than 10 Fire tree seedlings. A double-decked bus brought us and other employees to and fro our respective areas.

Ok, it may seem in the pictures that I was not very cooperative but I swear I planted 3 seedlings myself.

I hope to see those trees sturdy and full of red-orange flowers in years

Some Interior Design Project

The once spacious conference room of our office had to be renovated to be the new workroom of our Technical Support staffs. The conference room itself had been divided into three but more accurately 2.5 since only a low partition divides the resultant middle room and the adjacent one to the right. Outside that used to be the lobby, two more rooms were built; office for the supervisors opposite the receiving and repair room. (The glass door is the original entrance to the conference room)

Since there are plans that I will also move in to one of the new rooms later, I was given the privilege to decide for the look of the new office particularly in the selection of colors.

The photos below are the result of my desire to make it more homey than basically corporate. For the inside of the left room, I picked light pistachio green while lavender for the middle and right rooms which have two doors but share a common cube inside. Darker shades of the same palettes were used for the doors and base boards.

Ecru for the corridor isn’t my choice although I have no objections since it illuminates the area. I just thought of adding the random vermilion and chrome yellow quadrilaterals to save it from being a total bore. Despite the mockery of some colleagues comparing it to shapes in preschool classrooms, I personally drafted the shapes with pencil and marked what color to paint then left the rest of the labor to the painters. Eventually, the mocking birds appreciated the outcome.

This was done a couple of months ago already but I didn’t own a camera-phone then. How I wish I had pictures with the veteran and cooperative team who worked on this project.

BTW, I also proposed naming the workrooms something techie: Synergy, Collaborate, Merge, Interface, Drive and Streamline. However, some folks are yet just too conventional even if they’re in IT.

Let me know what you think.

WoW (Words of Wisdom) Riyo!

I was captivated by Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori when she did her farewell walk prior coronation of Venezuelan beauty Dayana Mendoza who eventually succeeded Mori. Personally, I find this part of such shows interesting because I get to know and see what the outgoing winners have become during their reign; had they improved or do they look like they really need replacement already.

Several interesting things with Riyo I think are first, her beauty is remarkable but still realistic and not tiring. Many just seem too beautiful that looking at them is tantamount to looking at a mannequin hence the feeling is devoid of a sense of life. Riyo is among the Misses Universe who looks human. Also, Riyo is the second Japanese miss to win the crown after more than 2 decades which is really impressive considering that until the few recent years seldom do slit-eyed Asians get a chance to get into the top 10 since they tend to be deviant from the norms. For instance, often their representatives tend to wear something that is far from being an evening gown for the gown competition.

Now, speaking of deviance, Riyo chose to wear a ladies’ tux in her final walk instead of a flowing dress many anticipated. She’s the first I know to do that and I give that personal statement two thumbs up. For me it’s a very charming way of asserting her identity and the ideal representation of how far had today’s women claimed social recognition through their perseverance and intelligence. They’ve broken the bounds of inferiority which the society had defined for them because there isn’t really a need for competition between the sexes. A few also reproved Riyo’s not wearing the crown while making her walk but I guess that was because first, a crown and tux doesn’t look right together although she wore the crown with a long dress in the early part of the show. Second, this year’s crown is not from the Mikimoto tiara Mori won last year so maybe the transition would not be exemplified if past year’s queen fastens a different crown to her successor. Lastly, my search in YouTube for replays revealed that Mori isn’t the only miss to walk without the crown; 2003 winner Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic was likewise guilty.

Still, most important was Mori’s message which thankfully was not confined to the typical thank-you-miss-universe-and-everybody-else and to-my-successor-well-wishes. Next to Natalie Glebova’s in 2006 that tells about making a difference, Riyo’s is a favorite:

Finally to all the young people of the world, if I could do it, so can you. Never give up on your dreams, always look ahead. Be patient, positive and happy.