MV Logos Hope: hope floats indeed

This afternoon I braved a blistering Manila midday to come aboard MV Logos Hope, the world’s largest sailing bookstore. With an entrance fee of Php20, the ship is docked at Manila Bay’s Pier 15, just behind Manila Hotel. The first step upon entry is to attend the sit-down orientation on the pricing (1 unit=Php1). Flaunting over 5,000 titles, selections include cookbooks, atlases, bibles, biographies, children’s books, parenting, health, and management, among others. There are toys, music CDs, Logos Hope lanyards, wristbands, mugs, caps and other souvenir items. The U-shaped layout is easy to follow.

I went there for management books that I can use in my trainings. To my dismay, however, I either didn’t like the books there or I have already read them. So where's hope? I wandered aimlessly and picked a cookbook just so I can justify my trip with a purchase. I was a bit downcast.

But not for long. Just beyond the payout counters is a small roomful of CDs and books priced at Php500 for three pieces. These are my purchases amounting to Php800. This would easily cost around Php2,000 in mainstream bookstores.

On my way out, I passed by groups of students listening to a youthful Logos Hope staff. The brochure mentions that the ship’s staff comprises of volunteers who come from more than 45 countries. The cashier at the 3-for-Php500 section was a lady from Ecuador. MV Logos Hope is a good venue for international understanding and volunteerism, especially among young people who are still forming impressions that can last them a lifetime.

What appealed to me more than the books is this HIV Counselling Room where visitors can avail of one-on-one sessions with peer counsellors. HIV and youth have been parts of my job as program coordinator for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Just before turning the corner where this counseling nook is located is a simple cafe with lots of tables and chairs, a good spot to rest tired feet and have a little snack.

Having exited the ship, I met groups and groups of students in the queue. This is good, only if the book prices are within their reach. Earlier, inside the ship, I overheard a uniformed student half joking “Hanap tayo ng tag-10 units lang, di ko kaya ang presyo eh” (Let’s look for items priced at 10 units, I can’t afford these prices.). At any rate, interacting with the culturally diverse staff is already a good experience.

Those of you who have time and a little money to spare, visit MV Logos Hope before it moves to Subic. It will be at Pier 15 until March 13. Help fuel the ship that "brings knowledge, help and hope."

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Is Facebook's email feature career-friendly?

You might have noticed by now that Facebook has new features that enhance the social networking experience. I use social networking for visibility and professional purposes, so the most relevant of the new features for me are: (1) Facebook's personalized email address, and (2) Facebook via mobile phone.

I know a lot of people already use the second feature and I think I don't have anything new to contribute to the discussion. So let me focus on feature #1.

roel.andag@facebook.com - that's my Facebook email. Very convenient, yes, because I am as active in Facebook as I am in Yahoo. But really, would I choose to use this email address for career-related online transactions? Rarely, if ever.

What will a headhunter or recruiter think if a job applicant uses a Facebook email address as primary online contact point? A less serious image is conveyed. The recruiter will note, perhaps mistakenly, that the applicant spends way too much time on Facebook.

And, unless I work for Mark Zuckerberg, I won't want a Facebook email address printed on my business card. That just wouldn't look very professional.

My advise, stick to your Yahoo or Gmail for professional online transactions. Facebook is for fun. Keep it that way.

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The world's top banker and the chambermaid - this is not a fairy tale

Why are certain people unable to control their sexual urges? Do they feel entitled to sexual satisfaction as soon as they demand it? Why do some people (ab)use their position to extract sexual favors?

It is ironic that the penis can cause the downfall of the mighty. The latest to sink to infamy is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF is the biggest financial institution in the world. It lends development loans to countries, including the Philippines.

Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually abusing a chambermaid of Sofitel Hotel in New York. Evidence is being gathered. Authorities already have gotten hold of beddings with traces of bodily fluids, and also his cellphone that he accidentally left behind in the hotel room. Police had to unseat him from his first-class accommodation in an airplane bound for France, his home country. He was planning to run in France’s presidential election in 2012 when his IMF stint expires. If proven, his indiscretion will cost him his IMF job and political aspirations.

Sexual harassment can be very demoralizing on the part of colleagues and employees. I should know. I have had the experience, twice over, of having an officemate (one and the same person) who was accused of sexual misdemeanor. The accusations were not investigated because the organizations ignored them. In both cases, the organizations chose to deploy the abuser into new communities. Did the reassignments solve the problem? They just exported the problem most likely.

There are other equally menacing effects at the organizational level. Read Sex in the Office, my past post regarding this topic.

As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.” This means that this situation can be acted upon even before it happens. How? By conducting effective gender responsiveness seminars in the workplace.

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Feeling fit to freelance?

This week I was able to read Free-for-All, an Entrepreneur magazine article discussing tips on freelancing.

How hard is it being a freelancer? I didn't ask if it's hard. It is - for the scared. I have been freelancing as HR and training consultant since 2006 – a very rewarding 5-year journey (see Confessions of a Career Nomad - Aug. 27, 2010).

Yeah, sure, there’s the boom-bust, feast-famine cycle. But really the stability of a freelance career depends on the quality of the products or services offered, quality of network, and equal parts daring and drive.

The Entrepreneur article offers these tips on getting through the lean seasons: accumulate savings and engage in self improvement.

May I add to that? Here’s a surefire way to avoid lean seasons: obtain a retainer. Offer consulting service to a company that’s willing to keep you in its payroll for a specified period (the usual practice is 6 months contract, renewable), specified deliverables, and for a fair fee. Some retainers will not require the consultant’s daily attendance. Other retainers will require the consultant to be physically present in the company for specified days.

My retainer with DMCI Homes is the latter type. I report three times a week, six hours per day. That leaves me ample time to deal with other clients, to socialize and to rest. I am also able to cut costs because I live three blocks from DMCI Homes’ Makati office. The distance is equivalent to the length of a standard zip line. I don’t have transportation expenses and I can go home for lunch. Best of all, I don’t have to deal with transport strikes, floods and traffic.

I paid my dues, though, before I reached this point. Networking, self promotion – name it, I did it. Here’s another tip: invest in books and follow their advise. The best books I found are Million Dollar Consulting, Consulting for Dummies, and Guerilla Marketing for Consultants. I still have a lot to learn - my freelancing journey continues.

If you want to build a career as a freelancer and you think I can help you, contact me anytime for free advise.

So, what have I been up to this week?

1. I observed the handover of DMCI Homes’ management trainees from one on-the-job deployment to another.

2. I visited Camp Tipulo for an ocular inspection in behalf of a teambuilding client. And there was sex, too (see 3rd photo).







3. I signed a contract extension for USAID-TB LINC. I am tasked to develop a training module that will be used to upgrade the capacity of barangay health workers (BHWs) as TB treatment partners.

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What have I been up to? A lot, a lot!

I know, right?! I've been away for quite a while, busy doing this and that, barely able to even check my blog. And now I'm back! So what have I been up to?

1. Creativity Workshop. Part of my job as Manager-Consultant of DMCI Homes' Management Development Program is to conduct relevant trainings. On April 18, 2011, I conducted a creativity workshop in connection with Stephen Covey's Habit 6 - Synergize, which is about creative cooperation. The 15 management trainees were divided into 2 groups and were assigned to create something from toobers and zots that I issued to them.

The picture below shows Engr. Brian Paolo Benitez modeling his group's output - a multifunction personal gadget that promises to make professionals more effective and efficient. The other picture shows the other group cobbling a bike together. You know who won the creativity challenge. The laughs we had was priceless.



2. Mayo-Mayohay Festival. Nothing stimulates my senses more than a good challenge. That's why I relish being de facto project manager of my hometown's Mayo-Mayohay Festival. Let me tell you more about it.

Every year, the people of San Julian in Eastern Samar celebrate their own version of the Mayflower Festival to pay homage to Virgin Mary, Queen of Flowers. San Julian is a third class municipality populated by hardworking and fun-loving people who are roused to the excitement and revelry of the Flores de Mayo every year. San Julian Blooms! is the theme this year.

Mayo-Mayohay is probably the Philippines' longest singles’ summer party. The town’s bachelors and bachelorettes are at the forefront of this month-long celebration. It opens on May 1 with a dance parade around town and festival exhibition at the municipal plaza where groups representing the town’s four districts (Campalao, Cambatong, Ibabao and Nonok) compete for the top prize. Opening night is marked by a dance in the plaza where single ladies and gentlemen groove to MTV music as well as to the Waray folk dance curacha.

Saturdays are devoted to street parties hosted by each of the districts. Novenas and catechesis are held everyday at the parish church where girls as virgines and boys as virginum come dressed in white to offer flowers to the Virgin Mary. Mayflower Festival closes on a high note – with a procession and Santacruzan on the afternoon of May 31. In the evening , a singles’ party and Search for Mayflower Festival Queen will be held at the municipal plaza.

This year, we the Andag brothers and sisters, who are the hermanos and hermanas, aim to take this celebration one notch higher by popularizing this time-honored tradition to a wider audience. Despite its long-running history, the Mayflower Festival has not yet captured the imagination of vacationers and tourists. What is now widely known among tourists about Eastern Samar is Guiuan’s surfing haven, Calicoan. Properly promoted, San Julian’s Flores de Mayo and the local beach Liliputan can be a fun summer swing for tourists.

Which is why, we would like to memorialize the colors and the rhythm, the shouts and smiles, the friendly competitiveness that promotes cooperation, the fine weather, and the youthful energy by capturing them in a tourism advocacy video documentary.

This event makes me shore up my planning skills, marketing skills, fundraising skills, relationship skills, and all other skills necessary. And I love every second of it. It's a working vacation (April 25-May 2 and May 28-June 2) that allows me to bond with my family and enjoy the festivity. Hey, I'm still looking for donors. Contact me if you're interested.

More festival pictures later.

3. Look where a broken heart led me. To try mending an aching heart, I went to the Philippine Women's University to watch the Bayanihan Dance Company perform on May 6. 2011. I ended up dancing Tinikling - a finale - after a dancer plucked me from the audience. It was so uplifting I wanna do it again.

4. Renewing Trainer on Call. As freelance training and HR consultant, I need to be competetive in finding projects. With the help of designers, I am professionalizing my marketing materials. Watch out for the 'renewed' Trainer on Call.

5. A lot more, a lot more.

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Joining a gym? Abs-olutely!

I am becoming a gym regular. As in 'daily' regular.

I am a dropout of a Makati-based high-end gym frequented by models and other heavenly bodies that made me sorrier for myself. I felt like I was Shrek being introduced to the lovely people of Far Far Away kingdom - three times a week. My enrolment quickly fizzled because just thinking of the commute dislodged my interest. The gym dreamin' ended shortly after it began. Money down the treadmill drain. Let's just say I know when to quit (smiley galore!).

It didn't end there, though. Because I'm good at keeping commitments - to myself and to others - and I am committed to continue my self improvement, I scouted for gyms in my neighborhood. I purposely searched for a low-end gym that caters to the hoi polloi like me. No more commute, no more obscenely physically blessed gym denizens that don't need to be there in the first place. Also, yes, no more exorbitant fees.

My Bangkal, Makati neighborhood has three such gyms all implementing a pay-per-use policy: one that attracts Mideastern looking muscle men (no treadmill, additional payment for personal trainer who doesn't look that professional), another one that is so musty the windows hardly let sunlight in (no treadmill, use the minimal equipment available at your own risk), and still another one that is to my liking (treadmill, check; personal trainer at no extra cost, check; decent looking, check). I enrolled.

Routine is among the things I consider health risks. I get bored easily. So I hunted for Gym #2 with a pay-per-use policy- my alternative in case I get bored with Gym #1. Voila! There are three gyms in nearby Libertad, Pasay: one with an old man, a very old man, like 60-ish, who told me he'll be my instructor because he has produced 10 bodybuilding champions and showed me a photo collection featuring his prizefighters; one owned by the Pasay City government (annexed to Cuneta Astrodome; treadmill reserved only for use by female patrons; overcrowded, students of a nearby maritime school comprising majority of the gym population and competing for equipment use); still another one conveniently located near the LRT station (treadmill for female customers only, male customers have to pay for treadmill use; extra charge for the services of a personal trainer). I enrolled in the third.

My every-other-day regimen has increased to a daily 1 1/2 hour ritual. I go to the gym at 9 in the morning or at 4 in the afternoon. Knowing that daily exercise helps me perform better is enough to excite me everyday. The initial muscle pains have disappeared.

Last week a fire broke near Gym #1. I was so worried about the gym burning down. Its demise will interrupt my workout program. That's how serious I am about this. Luckily for me, the fire did not touch my newfound shrine.

Aside from the hope of a six-pack popping someday out of my flabby abdomen, the gym inspires with the variety of people I encounter: the old eager beaver-first timer who is shameless in asking questions he ends his sessions learning more than anybody else; the gym superstars with godly musculature, bone structure and facial features - they whose arrivals inspire an unexpressed collective gasp of awe within 10-meter radius, we gawk at them; the lady who tries so hard to flirt with and impress everyone and whose sole purpose it seems is to hook up with any guy; and the gay guy who feels awkward round-the-clock because he pretends to be straight. There are a lot more. I realize I'm a gym biologist. I study the flora and fauna of this sweaty and iron-filled petri dish. I get more than what I come for. I get physical, mental and humor muscles. The gym has enhanced my self-discipline. I have even started regulating my food intake.

By the way, I have Gym #3: the gym that my client company provides to its employees for free. Life is good, huh?

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Faceblock: In which I reckon my FB dependence

I treat Facebook as an effective venue for client relations, for keeping in touch with family and friends, a chronicle of my adventures and misadventures, and a general outlet of my silly self. Facebook helps me a lot. I spend two hours on my account everyday on the average. My hallelujahs about the social networking site wouldn’t have been possible if my Facebook account has not been blocked last Thursday. For me the confirmation that my account was blocked was the disappearance of my Facebook badge from the sidebar of this blog. It was frustrating to be refused entry after several attempts to log in. I searched my mind for possible reasons – obscene content? None. Vulgar posts? Occasional. Have I somehow offended a 'friend' who then had me blocked? No idea. Would I even dare ask IT department? Uh oh. A lot is going on in my life, ergo a lot was going on in my Facebook: training negotiations, and fundraising for an event, among other things. Panicking, I created a new account and started inviting friends to connect me. But I was having a hard time remembering everyone. Through the new account I tried accessing the friends list in my old account. No dice. That account was set in private. I couldn’t get beyond my profile picture. Applying the 80/20 Pareto rule, I tried remembering only 20% of the people in my blocked account – those who give me joy and profits. Even this was difficult because many of them have their accounts on non-searchable setting. Some friends quickly approved my request. Some of them were real worried, asking me what happened. One was even concerned if I was a poser. I have a poser?! What compliment! An hour later, my old account reopened. The Red Sea parted. I am using it again. What of my new account? That's my Plan B. It's nice to be back to normal.

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Mastermind: the brain - unli

When was the last time you experienced a deficit of ideas? How often do you struggle for answers?

Some of you have Mensa level intelligence, but, if you’re a mere mortal like me then I’m pretty sure you, too, experience being stumped from time to time. We feel the limits of our brain, or the limits in how we use our biological CPU.

In the unending quest for brilliance, children are enrolled in the best schools, the youth are exposed to cerebral experiences, and employees undergo creativity and other neuro-sharpening training. As individuals, we take to reading books, solving puzzles, watching educational shows, communing with braniacs, yes, eating peanuts, et cetera, ad infinitum - all in the hope of improving our brain. Investments on brain enhancement run into the millions.

What if all that effort can be synthesized into a pill costing US$800 a pop? With the pill, one can figure out anything, summon stagnant knowledge and acquire new ones at warp speeds. Who would reject the idea of having a super brain? Isn’t it seductively irresistible?

All literature about humans being able to access only 20% of the brain will be nothing but records of a long, dim episode of civilization. Imagine heightened senses, hyperproductivity, excessive creativity – brilliance, unli.

This is the premise of the movie Limitless. An unapproved pill, NZT 48, turned Eddie, a writer grappling with writer’s block, into a financial whiz on the rise. NZT 48 enabled Eddie to access his brain 100%, transformed him from shabbiness to spiffiness, from dull to dazzling, from desperation to uber desirability, from loser to ultimate all-around winner.

Brilliance, indeed, is addictive; profitable brilliance even more so. ‘Enhanced Eddie started doubling his dose, unaware of the enormous drawback of a contraband ‘supplement’. The adverse side effects include warped perception, constantly getting lost, and losing track of his activities. Talk about not knowing your own whereabouts. NZT 48 was the gift that kept on giving until it caught up with him. NZT 48 is the mental equivalent of doping in sports.

There are memory enhancing supplements in the market today. I haven’t taken any of them so I can’t attest to their effectiveness. Until such time when a safe NZT 48 equivalent is rolled out in the market, I’ll stick to my ‘brain-y’ routines that don’t involve drinking anything except water or the occasional soda for the sugar boost. And at that price? I'm not sure. Pass the peanuts, please.

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It's summer, take a vacation!

It’s summertime again, and vacations spots in the Philippines and overseas are beckoning. The beaches, mountains, resorts hotels, casinos, theme parks, hometowns and other venues of relief and enjoyment are irresistibly inviting.

Both the vacationer and the company benefit from vacations. At the individual level, it is a perfect opportunity to bond with those you love. Speak of quality time. It is a time when one can review personal missions and goals to validate alignment. A getaway renews the spirit and recharges the batteries that fuel us to work well. For its part, the company reaps the rewards of the surge in creativity, new energy and reduction in employee’s emotional baggage. Vacations amp up morale.

Ah, if only you have the time, right? Well, under your company’s policies, you, hardworking honey, are entitled to certain days of paid vacation leave. Note that the Labor Code only provides for Service Incentive Leave. It is the company’s discretion whether to grant vacation leaves. However, once a company makes vacations leaves part of company policy, it can no longer reverse that decision.

Depending on the company’s policy, the number of vacation days can range anywhere from 14-22 days computed according to length of service. Ask the human resources department about this and other vacation leave protocols including scheduling and notification. Call center agents schedule their vacations way ahead of time in consideration of peak seasons.

You still don’t want to go on a vacation? Remember that vacations can be non-cumulative, non-commutative, and cannot be monetized. Don’t waste them.

Don’t mistake commitment to your company with being at the office all the time. Passionate productivity is the ultimate indication of commitment, and productivity improves after every vacation.

I’m serious about my career, which is why I’m equally serious about my vacations. At the start of 2011 I already shopped for plane tickets according to my scheduled vacations. So far I have schedules for February, April, May and July. More will be added by May. I spread out my vacations throughout the year. As soon as the year begins I already I take note of holidays, long weekends and potential long weekends.

When you finally come around to taking that handsomely deserved vacation, program an out-of-office email advise that you’re having an out-of-office experience. And email me your vacation pictures – I’ll feature them here. Enjoy!

Photo: Liliputan Beach, located in my hometown San Julian, Eastern Samar

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Right click and hit ‘Refresh’

Courtesy of the priest officiating mass, I learned that yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent. In his homily he talked about temptations, sacrifice and renewal.

I interpreted the occasion and homily from my point of view – which is a career- and personal development-oriented perspective.

Temptations are unhelpful habits including negativism, indulging in time wasters such as procrastination, and, in extreme cases, corrupt practices.

Sacrifice is the refusal to give in to instant gratification when the rewards of holding off are greater. Have you ever faked sickness just to get off work? That’s just one example.

Many of us only consider changing our ways when a cataclysm occurs. I’m sure the earthquake and tsunami in Japan was a waker-upper that compelled many people to mend their ways. Far from such disasters and safe in their temperature-controlled cubicles, employees are forced to evaluate their lives only when work-related emergencies occur – threat of getting fired, health threat due to overwork, and other similar life-changing situations.

Throughout the homily, Habit 7 (Sharpen the Saw) in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People kept flashing in my mind. Its main point being that, in order to be effective, one has to make it a habit to set time for the continuous enhancement of four dimensions: physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional enhancement.

Physical renewal includes nutrition, rest and relaxation, and exercise. Mental renewal means cultivating the mind through quality reading, writing and self education. Spiritual renewal includes committing to sound values, meditation and prayer, immersion in literature and the arts, and communing with nature. Social/emotional renewal lies in the effective relationship with others based on personal security supported by correct principles.

I realize that I have fallen short in the physical dimension in the areas of proper diet and exercise and in the spiritual dimension in terms of meditation and prayer. I need to sharpen these saws.

I also realize that New Year is not the only time to make resolutions, the Lenten season is an equal opportunity game-changer as well. After all, isn’t every single day a chance at second chances? A line in the song ‘Home’ from the 1975 musical The Wiz captures humanity’s collective plea: “Time be my friend let me start again.”

Renewal is about recommitment. Renewal demands self discipline. Self discipline leads to inner direction. Inner direction produces peace of mind. Peace of mind results in happiness.

We each have our own ‘refresh’ button. All we need is to right-click, hit refresh and muster the courage to follow through. Wouldn’t that be truly refreshing?

No need for cataclysms. By the power vested in me by the God who created me, I hereby recommit.

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Wow working woman! The law is on your side

March 8 is Women’s Day and March every year is International Women’s Month. In honor of every toiling woman – at home and/or in the office – I dedicate this article based on interesting and innovative work-related provisions of Republic Act 9710 otherwise known as the Magna Carta of Women.

Sec. 4(K) defines violence against women to include physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, and prostitution. Republic Act 9262, otherwise known as the Anti-VAWC (violence against women and children) law, redefines VAW as a public crime. It no longer remains “away mag asawa.” Anyone can report gender-based violence to the authorities. The same law covers violence in a lesbian relationship.

In Sec. 11, the State commits itself to take measures, in the form of incentives, to encourage women leadership in the private sector. Women leaders are well recognized in the country – through awards and public acclaim. Problem is that, the same women are featured year in and year out – umay factor. I know there are women leaders in the private sector but, for some reason, don’t take these awards seriously or just prefers to work outside of the spotlight.

Though the reproductive health (RH) bill is having a tough time squeezing throug the legislative mill at the House of Representatives, Sec. 17 of the Magna Carta of Women actually discusses RH, specifically its 10 elements. The passage of the RH bill, however, remains imperative because there are so many lives to save from the dangers of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and other gynecological disorders. Once it passes fogged minds, an RH law will provide life-saving benefits to men and women alike.

Laws exist entitling working women to a maternity leave. The Magna Carta of Women takes this a notch higher by virtue of Section 18 that entitles women employees to a special paid leave benefit of two months following surgery caused by gynecological disorders.

Here’s my personal favorite – Sec. 16(B) 2(C) outlaws some schools’ questionable practice of expelling and permanently barring from reinstatement women faculty who get pregnant outside of marriage. The same provision applies to students. I can hear the hiss coming from un-Christian and unprogressive Catholic schools where Catolica cerrada administrators and teachers are fond of the word ‘disgraciada.’ I say educate the educators! Sweet.

Sec. 22 enumerates the State’s commitment to its obligation to respect, protect and fulfill women’s right to decent work. The State aims to operationalize this by, among others, ensuring that women are able to access “support services and gears to protect them from occupational and health hazards taking into account women’s maternal functions;” and support services that will promote women’s work-life balance in the form of day care centers and breast-feeding stations at the workplace…”

Sec. 23(c) contains the State’s assurance to provide “employment opportunities for returning women migrant workers taking into account their skills and qualifications..and promote skills and entrepreneurship development of returning women migrant workers.” This is very important in the short-term especially in the context of the fallout from the current revolutions sweeping the Arab world; and in the long-term because returning OFWs feel useless when they return to the Philippines because of lack of employment opportunities. That’s a lot of productive energies wasted.

SEC. 24(b) says that the State will ensure gender-sensitive training and seminars. This is already being done in the public sector, leaving the private sector to catch up. Companies need to make their workplaces gender-responsive so as to harness women’s power to contribute to business profitability, and of course to avoid lawsuits arising from sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence in the workplace.

Uh oh. Sec. 35 warns that public and private entities and individuals guilty of discrimination against women will be met with the force of the law.

Happy Women’s Day!

NOTE: The author conducts Gender Responsiveness trainings.

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Vacations and other out-of-office experiences

1. Foremost in my mind right now is my upcoming vacation to my hometown, San Julian, Eastern Samar. It's going to be a whirlwind, 2 1/2-day vacation wherein I will attend four meetings: to discuss our family sponsorship of our town's Mayflower festival; to cascade to officers what our family will decide on; to plan the details of the 2nd annual general convention of our local gay organization; and to iron out inheritance properties. Three meetings on day 1, one meeting on day 2, beach outing on day 2, and leave San Julian at 8am of day 3. I'm making this sound so mechanical but I'm so excited!

2. Part of my job as manager of DMCI Homes' Management Development Program is to conduct learning sessions for personal excellence. I am revisiting Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I am seeing the book with fresh eyes.

3. I am at page 300-something of Kitty Kelley's Oprah and the book is - I hate using this hackneyed word - unputdownable. The revelations are explosive - about Oprah's half-truths and half-lies. Understandably, her power in media makes the mighty meek, which is why I like Kitty Kelley for writing this well researched, unauthorized biography. For the same reason of being ballsy, I love Kathy Griffin for irreverently poking fun at Oprah.

4. An uneventful Valentine's Day passed. Why is there a pressure to snag a date on Valentine's Day? It's so commercialized. Oh, please, just dismiss this as ramblings of an unpaired (thankfully not impaired) soul whose 'special someone' is one plane ride away. My 35th birthday was the day after the bland Valentine's. We had lunch at the office and my friend Aida B. treated me to a post-birthday lunch at The Plantation on Feb. 19.

5. Between the period Feb. 25-July 18, 2011, I already have four vacations booked - all to my hometown. I'd still try to squeeze in a vacation to Palawan, Pangasinan or Boracay, preferably through Zestair's vacation packages (except for Pangasinan). I'm thrilled about this out-of-office experiences!

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