Tidbits

Being Nicole

2011-08-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Been fighting all my life. Endlessly fighting. Exhausted, battered and scarred so much. Yet I still continue.

Where I draw this strength, I cannot answer definitely. I know it just moves me to do what I must do.

- Google+ Status, 11 August 2011

Destination

2011-08-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

I can almost hear the waters and the waves splashing on the shore. I am close to smelling and tasting the salt in the air. I cannot wait to feel the wind blowing through the trees and ruffling my hair. I am just about to locate myself in silence, in a place I am a stranger to.

- Google+ Status, 9 August 2011

Just me and my shadow dancing

2011-08-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

To dance as if no one was watching and with no care to the world last Friday night until the wee hours of Saturday morning made me realize how much I missed my craft: be it classical ballet, jazz, ballroom or disco/bar lounge grooving.

Did not mind the sweat streaming down my face; did not feel my feet ache from the high heels I was wearing; did not bother with the crowd closing in on me nor the smoke emitted from smokers around me and from the DJ's booth. I was basking in it all.

I was lost in my own world, in the comfort and reality of dancing. I was on my own most of the time, dancing and unleashing myself, and once in a while, someone would offer to partner with me for a sweet, slow LA walk or an exhilarating swing that left me breathless, excited and happy.

To dance: my dance, my partner's dance, our dance, and my dance again.

- Google+ Status, 7 August 2011

Stirrings Within

2011-08-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

I want to get away. I want to escape. I want to resurrect myself.

- Google+ Status, 4 August 2011

My YM Moratorium

2011-04-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

I recently declared a moratorium on myself: not to use Yahoo! Messenger.

I have no idea for how long or for how short a time. I just know that I need to lessen the distractions at work and impose some discipline and professionalism in the way communications and documentation is handled. Plus, I was getting so annoyed at the pop-ups every time somebody logs-in or logs-out. More so if the Internet connections are not stable and steady in your contact lists' office.

My moratorium decision also stems from something very personal but I will not disclose here in this outlet. It is not for public consumption.

How have I been faring so far? Well, it could be something similar when undergoing drug or alcohol (or sex?) rehab. You undergo a "detoxification" process. But I suspect mine is both a cold turkey and detox approach.

I declared my moratorium over a month ago I think but have not been able to uphold things on my end for I guess a week or two. It was only recently that I was able to control and discipline myself.

I am slowly experiencing the benefits of being less distracted at work and being able to gather more concentration and focus. But I just have to disclose that I kind of "cheat", in the sense that I open my YM and quickly check who is online and if there were any offline messages left. But all is done in a minute or maybe even less. I do that around three times a day.

In curbing this habit or this typical routine, I found myself not tempted to chat or open the chat window. I guess I would consider that a milestone for myself and that this "cheating" is forgivable.

My aim is really not to use YM in matters related to work or business and to train people to document things and respond quickly, properly, professionally via e-mail.

In fact, through e-mail, I am able to "converse" fluidly and not experience disruptions of thought unlike in chat when people just interrupt on as is or as need basis. E-mail is also beginning to be a friend as well. I am able to decently list down the things I need in an organized and uninterrupted manner as opposed to YM.

Perhaps this decision to declutter and to delineate my personal space from work helped shape this declaration.

So I hope to continue this practice and achieve the type of discipline I need in managing my affairs. Wish me luck as I continue on.

Five Things Females Need to Know When They Find Themselves in the LTO

2011-04-13T01:02:00.000-07:00

I had the [mis]fortune of trooping to the the Land Transportation Office (LTO Main) in Quezon City last Monday. I was to settle a fine on a very subjective violation called "swerving" and collect my most valued ID - my driver's license.

For females who are not of faint heart, bearing an ounce of street smartness and open to all sorts of adventures like myself, you would not mind at all heading to the LTO Compound by yourself. Otherwise, you better have a male companion tag along with you. Why so?

1. Lining up and submitting the ticket.

Upon entering the compound, you will encounter a long queue at the Administration and Settlements Office/ Building. The line - by a hands down majority - is dominated by male drivers. So these are the jeepney, bus, taxi, truck, van and professional drivers league.

The line extended outside the building. I found myself a bit down the corner of the ASO right smack at the morning sun's peak. Oh, before I forget, best if you brought an umbrella for shade and protection (both in the figurative and literal senses).

Admittedly, I got anxious - not for my safety - but more for the time that will be consumed in settling a minor traffic offense. I arrived a little after 11:00 a.m. I think.

Going back, if you are not comfortable in this crowd, do not panic if you are all alone. The guards periodically check for females lining up and immediately usher them inside the building. Why you might ask?

I discovered right then and there that WOMEN ARE GIVEN PRIORITY in the line. Yes. I shit you not.

I found myself seconds later inside an air-conditioned environment, told to get a number and be seated as my papers were being processed.

Okay, one inconvenience down.

2. Document Processing: the WAITING Game.

So noonee, noonee, noo ... checked my watch, "Oh no, it's almost 12:00 noon. They are definitely going to announce lunch break soon. Darn, another delay ... Hold on, why is that guy's paper's being released when I came earlier than him? I have a number to prove it."

I learned that the LTO does not follow numbers issued out. Yes, typical of our Philippine government offices. Makes you wonder why they issue numbers when they don't follow the sequence at all right?

It could probably be the volume of documents they have to process and each offense might vary in the level of paperwork needed to process it. That is how I would put it but then, it still smacks of INEFFICIENCY.

So what happened?

I just waited and prayed (two mysteries of the Holy Rosary). I was so surprised that they did not sound the lunch bell.

The LTO employees just continued processing and handing out documents. Some went on lunch breaks but still conducted work as they chowed their food right in front of us waiting crowd.

Shortly before 1230 pm, my name was called in FULL. (On a side, I have four names.) So just imagine the buzz I created (AS USUAL) with it.

As I approached the counter, I was handed my processed papers (together with a copy of the ticket I submitted from the apprehending officer) and was shortly interviewed about my name and my ancestral roots.

So what is the point of this second entry? Well, just SMILE, be GRACIOUS and ACCOMMODATING to these people - in spite of how things are being conducted in our own government offices. It is probably a treat for them to see a cute, charming and well-mannered yet bad-ass lady driver from a sea of typical male traffic offenders.

Carry this on throughout the day, I assure you, things will just move swiftly and in your favor as a female.

3. Settling the fine (at the speed of light).

I settled my fine at a whopping PhP1200+ and was issued an official receipt right then and there at Window 9. ( I was advised by my cousin, who is a lawyer, that it was just less than PhP500 for swerving. Guess not.)

Soon after, I was instructed to head to another building to attend a lecture and undergo a written examination. I had twenty minutes to spare before 1:00 pm. FYI: the lecture and exam is always scheduled every two hours (8am to 10am, 10am to 12nn, 1pm to 3pm, and 3pm to 5pm).

As I registered my name at the lobby, the guard told me that I would need a ballpen. Since I left my own in my car (which I parked in a friend's residence, not far from LTO to save me the hassle of parking in its uh, confusing, compound), I had to purchase one at PhP10! (Sigh ...)

Lesson: ALWAYS BRING A PEN. No matter what.

4. The LTO Driver Lecture and Exam.

Tip: Remember the things taught to you in driving school and use a lot of LOGIC.

That is the coverage of the written test. If you did not undergo driving in a licensed driving school or your personal driver did not disclose anything essential about driving, you will be in deep shit.

It is a 60-item exam and the passing score is 45. You also have the option of taking the exam in English or in Tagalog.

By the way, women are segregated from the men in the classroom. Yep. All men up the front of the classroom and women at the back.

There's a male proctor assigned specifically to handle the male crowd and another male one to uh, care for the minority of females.

Here, as a female, you are still treated with respect and provided assistance in case you don't understand examination instructions.

Plus, since you are a minority, test papers are checked on the spot, you are given time to review the items marked as mistakes and the passing scores are submitted to issue a certification that you have undergone a short rehabilitation course in driving.

AND, you get a FREE souvenir from the LTO: a handbook on driving. Everything you need to know - offenses and corresponding fines, traffics signs, etc. All the works.

Plus the next time I get apprehended, I was advised by my proctor to haggle it to a lower offense like "obstruction". Hmm ... okay.

5. Homerun.

Last step for this grueling day is for you to collect the much valued driver's license.

As soon as I got my certification, I took my proctor's advise of scooting out of the classroom immediately so I can redeem my license early.

Let me digress a bit, after the examination, we were asked to watch an AV video of the LTO and all you need to know about driving here in the Philippines. When it ended, the men were asked to march to the second floor of the building while we girls (we were three) were asked to stay behind.

I cannot recall why but my guess is that it might be a fraternal thing. I don't know, there might be an initiation of some sort for male traffic offenders. *SHRUG*

Going back, I went back to the ASO (second floor) and submitted my certification. True enough, as I sat down to wait for my name to be called out, my male "classmates" came barging in and the hall was immediately filled.

Minutes later, my name was called out and I got my most precious driver's license back.

What time did my day at the LTO end? A little before 3:30pm. Not bad.

A Blogging Challenge

2011-04-11T23:43:00.001-07:00

Hahaha ... I cannot believe I signed myself up for a 30-day Blogging Challenge together with some work colleagues, who I consider now as awesome friends. This initiative was brilliantly hatched by Noel Nuguid. Admittedly, just like him, this will really force me to blog on a regular basis.

I would like to think that I am a natural writer. Words, ideas just flow from my mind down to my fingertips (i.e. on a keyboard) and/ or my pen. Yes, I do keep an online space for public consumption of my work and I maintain a journal of my own private musings. Why so? There are just some entries which are meant to be shared between me and my journal. Nothing more.

My blogging is not to give a blow-by-blow account of my life nor release so much angst and gripe about life's injustices. As a blogger, I am responsible for how I conduct myself in public since blogging is a public activity. Whatever I write will be a reflection of myself - and I do not want to turn people away with my words.

One can call it that I am playing safe. That I am restricting myself from expressing fully what is inside of me. Well, let them. That is their opinion.

But for me, I want to exercise a degree of responsibility for whatever I let out in my entries. I simply want my entries to bring smiles or a bit of memory to the surface. To ignite an idea that was buried in the recesses of one's mind. Or to strike a new friendship based on similar realizations and interests.

Kindred Spirits

2011-03-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm up early on a Sunday morning because my mind is "bothered" so much. I love the way how I use "bother" in this sense. Only handful can comprehend to the tenor I use.

If no female can relate to the thinking of Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery, then you've truly missed the essence of what is being a woman and breaking away from the constraints imposed by society's norm.

One man (good looking, talented, intelligent and quite known in the Manila society circles), asked me a few years ago, what was my favorite book. I simply and unabashedly said, Little Women and the works of LMA.

I think he found it cute but it was an unexpected reply from somebody, who turned a quarter of a century old - then. He must have been expecting something like today's Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Admittedly, his inquiry caught me off guard but if my mind was not cluttered so much then, I would have volunteered Nick Bantock for something more mature. But I suspect my answer made a very endearing impression on him about myself.

The term "kindred spirits" is from Montgomery's classic and monumental work - Anne of Green Gables. (While I am not a fan of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, I would like to thank her for bringing into the radar this fantastic personality today. Even if it was just a mention or a reference for Bella Swan's wedding dress.)

Anne Shirley, an orphan adopted by siblings Matthew and Martha Cuthbert of Avonlea, infuses so much adventure in the quiet and sheltered life of Diana Barry, next door neighbor to the Cuthberts.

In the first book, Anne and Diana seal their friendship in a ceremony that is much for fairy tale in style (I was thinking in a setting similar to Lord of the Rings' Rivendell and costumed like the elf princess Arwen) and at the same time, very comic like in the Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (yes, draw a blood compact shall we?).

Best friends has never found itself in an elevated definition such as this but beyond this type cast, "kindred spirits" held for me a deeper meaning than that.

It meant openly locating, sweetly discovering and surprisingly aligning so much of yourself with someone or with people you would not have in the slightest idea you would click with.

I could opt to just say instantaneous connection but the elements of lightness and spontaneity afford it a different twist.

My preference for terming some of my relationships with people as fellow kindred spirits, somehow affords me this ease and comfort. Akin to a sanctuary but in a human sense.

Up at 4am

2011-03-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

I woke up a little before 4am. I've begun doing some mind exercises last Friday - no, make that last Wednesday - to help myself.

I am supposed to work on my Governance Innovation Report but I found myself organizing one of my Gmail accounts. Admittedly, it felt good, lighter even redirecting some of the e-mails to another account. I felt these were encroaching too much on my personal space. The clutter and the stuffiness these brought seemed to reflect what has been going on recently with me.

Yes, it has been a while since I've updated this site of mine. I am sorry for not having lived up to my promise of doing so.

Just like my personal account which was heavily bombarded with so many e-mails (it really messed up my personal space and did not leave me much room to enjoy my sanctuary), I was struggling with my own issues of happiness, liberation, satisfaction, stability and independence.

Why I encountered this stifling sensation frustrated me. It drew me into a vortex that led me to doubt and insecurity. How I am dealing with these is another story. But I am now in a better disposition compared to before.

What I would like to share in this entry is how much writing has been the salve to soothe me.

My inner demons which brought me so much turmoil, distress and desperation were released and contained (somewhat like the Ghostbusters' electromagnetic ghost trapper) in a journal. My journal has been detailing the feelings, process, realizations, existential questions that brought me to my own decisions. Writing has been my constant companion as of late, calming me and freeing me of my own internal battles.

Before, I would use to tear up previous journal entries - and now that I am older and wiser, I regret doing so. I think this is a side of me which refused to reconcile a phase or a stage I had to undergo that was really awkward - embarrassing at times, painful, foolish. I thought these did not describe myself. I wanted a different projection of me. Now, I had enough sense to keep intact my diary from the time I started writing - and this was when I was ten years old.

Hahaha ... as I wrote that sentence it brought tears to my eyes. Regretful? Sentimental? A little of both I believe. Wow, that was a good release; not a full one but at least it eased the pressure inside of me. And so, here I am on an initial attempt to be more forgiving and accepting of myself.

Goals After Submitting My GIR

2010-07-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

It was liberating to change my Governance Innovation Report (GIR) topic so I can fully finish my graduate degree with the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG). Changed topic, changed adviser and what I did not expect was the dean - Tony La Vina - specifically telling me that he insisted to help me in accomplishing it. How wonderful is that?!

With renewed interest and "aggression", I am intent to finish my "thesis" this year. Target: November 2010. I can almost smell that Masters in Public Management or MPM attachment at the end of my name.

Now that the GIR has captured my time and attention, I intend to treat myself to hobbies I took up and seemingly left "hanging". So here I am churning up a list of things I would like to pursue again after I am done.

1. Ballet (with Dione Estabillo) - Whenever I look at my pointes or toe shoes, I can't help but feel the strong tug to go back and dance. This will be the third time I will go back to the first thing I love. So Magdalena Dione, expect me to be with you in the dance studio around January 2011.

2. Piano - I used to enjoy pounding on the keyboard until I grew out of it. (Read as bored.) Now that our old piano is gone and I've rekindled a love to play tunes, I'd like to fill our home with soothing music my mom and I can hum, sing and sway to.

3. German and Spanish lessons - It's such a waste that I did not get to fully utilize these. Especially my German since I graduated with a minor in that language. Time to take out the rustiness by reviewing my notes, lessons and books. This will also prepare me for another round of studies - this time overseas. More on this in a later post.

4. Target shooting - Aside from the fact that I am trigger happy, this activity will be my bonding with my cousin Pinggoy. Plus, I can't wait to earn my license to own a gun for my protection.

5. Scuba diving (!) - Ah yes, my dive master and my diving friends have been wondering about when I am going back to diving. I miss the sea and everything in it. It was also another sanctuary and a relief from stress when I was into it.

There are more I know but these are the "immediate" so to speak. Will share more of my goals in another post. But because I took these up and never bother to sustain these interests, I think it is about time that I took these seriously.

The initial investments made and seeing the materials/ equipment I purchased haunt, nag and remind me (and yeah I guess whisper at me disturbingly). I should add ultimate frisbee here but it will depend on how healed my left hip is.

So much to look forward to after the GIR. Another way of providing myself incentives. Not bad really.

Magdalena Feast

2010-07-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

While toggling over recent posts on Facebook (via Tweetdeck, which I am loving tremendously), I encountered this status message from a friend: "Today (July 21) is the feast day of [St.] Mary Magdalene."

Hastily I texted my other three girl friends - Camille, Dione and Vero. We bunch actually nicknamed ourselves "Magdalenas" after embarking on a pilgrimage last May 2009 (not because of the Da Vinci Code). Why we did, upcoming posts will uncover it. In fact, I'm actually keeping a list of our adventures and its corresponding highlights be it as a complete group or less.

Needless to say, Vero and Camille were giggling upon stumbling on this fact. Happy feast day indeed to us!

For now, I just had to refresh and update this blog of mine, which I have been negligent towards to. Sorry dear blog. I shall infuse you with many of my thoughts and my stories soon. That is a promise.

Hugs

2010-05-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you were hugged?

I've always felt better when hugged tightly. Hugs do have the power to erase the bad vibes. So it is no wonder that some people from the US and I think recently from Korea or Japan began lining up crowded streets.

With placards strung or signs hanging across their bodies saying that they are giving free hugs, they wasted no time approaching pedestrians, commuters, practically anybody who they deemed needed a hug. Miraculously, frowns and lines disappeared instantaneously. Of course, there were others who were just fine receiving a random hug from a stranger.

I can't recall if anybody turned them down. Well too bad if somebody did. The hug would have made a whole world of difference.

Words to live by from Sheila Lirio Marcelo

2010-05-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Had a video conference this morning (May 5, 2010) with a Filipina entrepreneur Sheila Lirio Marcelo. Based in the Boston, she put up Care.com, a website offering babysitting services for people (elderly, kids, handicapped, people with special needs) and pets. Aside from babysitting or caregiving services, Care.com also offers tutoring and housekeeping.

Sheila was named as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in the US last 2009. So how cool, how awesome can a Wednesday morning be right? Listening to a founder and CEO, who landed in Fortune's Top 10 List of Emerging Women Entrepreneurs, almost side by side (via conference screens) with people from Santa Clara and New York certainly ought to perk one up early in the morning. I definitely felt privileged to have joined this first networking mixer organized by friends from the Filipino Entrepreneurs Network (FEN), based in California.

Sheila is certainly impressive. Her LinkedIn profile indicates that she graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Economics and pursued dual master's degrees from Harvard University in Business and Law, graduating with honors. Despite being a Type A girl she is nonetheless a very humble woman.

I'd like to share the things which struck me the most during our one hour conference.

Sheila smilingly disclosed that she lives "a life of managed chaos." I think some of us could actually relate as we do tread similar paths every waking days of our lives. Managing and prioritizing (especially when there are messes and hitches) is a core skill we develop and perpetually carry with us for our survival (and may I add, sanity). :) Conducting one's life in "managed chaos" for me is to explore and discover creatively our capacity to overcome challenges and seek the order we want in delivering quality work.

The second thing which struck me was when she said that in order for a business or enterprise to succeed, one must love selling (be it a product or a service) and be an evangelist. This responsibility is not limited to to sales people and heads of sales departments; even CEOs have to sell and evangelize their businesses.

Honestly, I used to hate marketing and selling. I avoided it all costs. That's why I found myself aiming for a career in the non-profit sector preferring to do (what I thought was quiet work) research and project management. Little did I know, when I decided to mobilize resources for the whole Ateneo, fund raising was the counterpart of marketing and sales in the development world.

Fund raising has educated and opened my eyes to my latent skill of marketing/selling. Speaking of selling, Sheila emphasized that it should not only be plain selling. It should be PASSION SELLING wherein 80% of your sales pitch is emotion and 20% is logic - and I've witnessed that this approach well, sells well.

So much so, it made me remember my former boss in Synergeia Foundation, former Finance Undersecretary Milwida "Nene" Guevara. I remember Ma'am Nene saying that "init na init siya" whenever she was asked to talk about Synergeia's work in education and local governance. What drives her in her passion selling is seeing not only children but communities and their local chief executives working together in maturing the education system in their towns, municipalities and provinces.

Lastly (and I should really apply this) is to know how to pace one's self. We all seem to be in a mad rush to accomplish so many things in so little time. Eventually, we experience this premature exhaustion, a depleted feeling as if the life or energy was sucked out clean from our bodies, our minds and our spirits. I think that is what constitutes being burnt out.

Admittedly, I am a victim of pushing-myself-too-hard-and-working-myself-too-hard-as-if-no-other-day-would-come follies. Nowadays though I make a conscious effort to remind myself, "Pace (and prioritize!) your energy, ideas, activities Nicole" or else, my health (and my sanity) will suffer. And I don't want to feel that I won't be of tremendous use anymore.

Sheila had so many wonderful things to share but these three are my tops; these are what impressed me the most. Now, the next step would be for me to take all these to heart and share these with as many people possible.

Coffee, Conversations and Company

2010-04-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

For me, an idyllic picture of contentment after a horrendous day at work would be coffee, conversations and company.

Braving through the much anticipated rain and traffic from Alabang to Makati, I met up with fellow compatriots from the One Tama movement and new-found friend Zarah "Zee" Perez from Starbucks Philippines' Global Responsibility group.

Zee's responsible for Dialogues@Starbucks - a move to elevate coffee shop conversations into a networking and launching forum of good works. When I met her, I just knew that we would connect. My favorite term for that is "kindred spirits" (Anne of Green Gables). Zee is obsessed (I mean this in a good way) of putting the spotlight on unknown yet potential Pinoy gamechangers.

My One Tama group is an example; we adopt small yet doable things to influence the way how things are ran in Philippine everyday life. From bringing one's own bag to the grocery store to demanding receipts for purchases to following traffic rules to greeting/ smiling at/ thanking taxi drivers when getting inside/outside the cab and more.

Last night was about the upcoming 2010 elections but I won't write about that here. I want to focus on the simple yet deeply appreciative things such as coffee, conversations and company melting away figurative toxins.

Just talking with Zee about how we can work together for the Brain Gain Network - a pet project of my boss Paco Sandejas - and Dialogues@Starbucks, interlaced with news from our other partners and friends we regularly engage with, did not seem to tire us out at all. I guess if one is so madly in love with work, talking about it is so effortless, light, exciting that you can actually feel yourself getting so hyped up.

Because of the rains, Starbucks was a bit empty --- and it added a bit of an allure to it. Quiet, soothing, and relaxing, talking felt more wonderful as we did not have to scream at each other so we can hear what we're saying. I notice when coffee shops get crowded (sure, it's good for business but ...) the ambiance shifts dramatically.

But yeah, going back to what I was writing, last night was a perfect night for caffeine (though we did not have any, smelling the brews was just so heavenly) and catch-up time. The 3 C's seemed to have pull us out of what seemed like zombie states, lulling us into a world of engagements (work - again - and otherwise), pride in being Filipinos, and nurturing relationships.

We parted close to ten in the evening. Admittedly, we were already feeling petered out but knowing that we were well and good put things at peace ... until we find ourselves activated by an idea bug or Eureka moment that one just has to get a hold of each other in the soonest possible time.

Preface

2010-04-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have finally gone beyond the attempt to compose my first blog entry for this spot. I've been vacillating too much. About time I blogged.

The blogging bug bit me several years ago. My early digital media writings were exposed on Friendster (which I should have salvaged first before deleting my account), then on Multiply (though I might shift it to here). I managed to create an account here but forgot all about it, hence I had to start all over again. Ergo, this little sanctuary for my thoughts, experiences, advocacy works and all sorts of tidbits that I can impart. These could be things you are aware of and otherwise.

When I was young, I wanted to be a nurse, dentist, doctor, a nun (yes! Out of sympathy for a sister who asked our fifth-grade class if anybody wanted to be a nun. No one raised their hand, so I did so she can be hopeful that the religious life was not going to be extinct in our batch.) and a writer (but when I got to high school and enjoyed my Economics subject, I wanted to save the Philippines).

The last one was something I worked hard at. I kept diaries (oh yes, the Dear Diary mushy, innocent, cheesy stuff. I am now cringing and the mere thought is making me so embarrassed. Uh huh, yup) and joined the future journalist club in school. Starting out as a reporter in fifth (or was it sixth grade) and then finally graduating from grade school as the News Editor. In hindsight, I feel bad that I did not seriously pursue this in high school, focusing instead on table tennis and math for curricular activities. How weird was that right?

Anyway, now that my work allows me to write - aside from balancing other responsibilities such as networking, Über babysitting websites (the Brain Gain Network and Narra Venture Capital), and whatever my boss wants me to do - I have no excuses from pursuing what is probably my latent profession - writing and now, blogging.

To make it easier for me, I afford myself the leisure of jotting down whatever tidbits I encounter for yours and my reading consumption. I always thought that writing long entries was a must but short ones will do as people would not have time to mull over long ones - and before I further prolong this, I will have to end my introduction here.

So cheers to me for FINALLY writing/ blogging! I do hope that I am able to sustain this (and this is a regular promise I should hold myself accountable to). More entries to come!