Praise You

This is what I found in my inbox when I came in to work today:

I wanted to take a moment to let you know what a fantastic addition Mina has been to [this department]. In the very short time that she has been here, she has helped us to solve some very embarrassing issues that we have needed assistance with since I arrived two years ago.

The technical expertise and consultation is fantastic… but there’s more. I am most impressed with her ability inherit less than optimal work products and to establish a plan to move things forward. Although I know that we may represent her easiest customers because of our shared perspective on “branding” and the importance of the collective [department] image, I am confident that she will ultimately win the entire department over.

She never makes us feel stupid, while providing solid industry standard direction. I am so excited about what adding her to the communication team will bring for all of [the department] and very specifically, to our effort in HR.

“Way to hire UP!” Your very small Communications team is likely one of the strongest in the department. Thanks for raising the bar!

The HR Manager for our department sent this to my supervisor and also to our director yesterday. Thank you, God, for allowing me to finally find a supportive work environment. Surely, I'm forgetting all the trauma I endured a whole year ago from my previous employer.

Sa mga taong may mga buwisit na katrabaho, know that there is indeed a rainbow after the rain (basta marunong kang mabasa para makalipat ka ng bagong sisilungan. Naks!).

Time Management

I super duper hate people who cannot meet deadlines! Ugh!

It is not okay for you to not turn your deliverable on time. It is not okay for you to be clueless when someone had sent three separate e-mails leading up to the deadline. It is not okay to use "I was busy" as an excuse. All of us are busy; that's why we're getting paid.

Teamwork = everyone's work is all dependent upon someone else's productivity. Ride the same wave, people.

Negotiate to Initiate

I abhor salary negotiations. I have to say this again and again (ala 2pm!).

Just like in 2006 when I got the WV job, I might have to take time out and tell myself that I'll be dedicating one year of my life to the betterment of the world and to not think about money. After I made that pact with myself, I swear, it was smooth sailing from then. It's so true that when you have the right frame of mind/outlook, it's a whole new world. Let's do it again, dear self! Let's heal this mother lovin' world!

A Little Plus

I'm back for a two-week stint with the general elections for the county. While I'm still a temporary employee, I've sort of made it up the food chain after working during the primary election in August: I'm now one of the three aides in the section. Instead of being one of the 40+ people sitting in front of the computer waiting for work to be handed to him/her, I'll be one of the people running around delivering the work to the them. More strenuous work, but definitely a "promotion" if you will. No wonder I wasn't asked to be a 6am person this time around.

I hope that this will lead to a full-time position eventually. Not really sure how long "eventually" will be, but if it means that I won't have to commute into the city for work while getting paid a higher than average salary, then the wait will definitely be worth it.

For now, at least my self-confidence got a little plus sign next to it after a series of minuses during this long jobhunt. Hooray for doing my best whether the task is great or small! (And this is coming from the person who set off the fire emergency exit alarm on her first day last August. HeHe!)

Oh No

I'm not moving on to the next round of the application process for the Korea job. Oh...my...gawd. 100% heartbreak hotel. If it's not meant to be, how bad is the working environment there that God won't allow me to go? LoL.

For now, it's time to be serious again about finding a job that is going to put food on the table. *SIGH.

Round Two

I'm on to the second round: Editing Test.

The test consists of a one-page speech to edit. Sounds simple enough. I'm just hoping that whoever checks the editing test is actually a native English speaker.

I now also know my competition, thanks to a non-blind-carbon-copied e-mail. Eight people are vying for this position. I hope seven of them forget to check their e-mail in the next two days. ;P

Still continue to pray for me, please.

D-Day

Today is the closing date for the position. The past six nights have been full of anxiety and wishful thinking. I know I can't do anything now except to wait and hope that everyone who wanted to apply forgot about it because of the Chuseok holiday. God, please, please, please...

This Is It

God,

Minsan-minsan lang ako humihiling sa iyo. Pati nga yung mga importanteng mga bagay (lovelife) kinakalimutan ko nang hilingin. Simply because I know how blessed I am with what you've already given me. Gusto ko sana yung mga hiling ng mga ibang tao na lang ang pagtuunan ninyo ng pansin. Opo, as usual, mas may alam ako kesa sa inyo. ;P

So kapag nagbablog ako about my prayers, you know that I truly need your help. Kumbaga, gusto ko malinaw na maisabi sa iyo kung ano man ang hiling ko. Alam mo naman na ang layunin ko sa buhay ay hindi yumaman pero ang maging maligaya sa aking tinatahak na landas (Wow, heavy itong Tagalog ko.). Usually, ang ibig sabihin nito ay maging maligaya ako sa aking karera. Sa isip ko, alam ko kung ano ang gusto kong maging pero palaging walang oportunidad para magawa ito.

Kahapon, nagsubmit ako ng application para sa isang trabaho sa Korea. Sana po ay tulungan ninyo ako na mapasaakin yung trabaho. Katulad ng drama ko nung 2005/2006, this job fits the bill: the location is perfect, the salary is enough, I'll be able to use my skills, I'm interested in what I'll be doing, and I'll be in a safe place so the parents won't be worrying. Just like what MJ said, "This is it."

God, sige na po, tulong naman diyan. Seryoso ako dito. Since May, when did you find me spending two days perfecting a cover letter and resume? Exactly. My heart skipped a beat not once, but twice when I saw the job posting. I really want this. Please help me get this job.

Thanks for listening...

One Step At a Time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

When people hear about the people I've met and the things I've done in my life thus far, they ooh and ahh. Don't get me wrong, I ooh and ahh as well and smile thinking about all the stories I have stored up to tell my (and Piolo's) grandkids.

The only frustration I really have is finding out what to do with all of these experiences. I'm one of those people who believe that there's a lesson/meaning in everything and that each "thing" is a part of the bigger picture, but what *is* that big picture? And when are you supposed to figure that out?

For so many Sundays now, I've been asking God to lead me to The Path, for me to know what I'm meant to do in this world. Hindi ko kasi alam. For someone who always did well in school, how come I can't solve this one problem?

When I look at other people, parang kontento na sila sa mga ginagawa nila dahil kumikita sila. Am I supposed to have that same outlook in life?

God's Birthday Gift

In an e-mail I read at 5:30 this morning:

Dear Ms. Mina,

We'd like to know if you're still interested to work in Shangri-La as Asst. Communications Manager. Please reply. Thank you.

Let's see how this one will turn out, shall we?

To Be Content...Is Not That Easy

Why is it that there's always something wrong?

I had my first interview of the season today and since this job requires the same skills sets that I utilized at my previous job, everything is perfect...except that the job site is in the boonies. And I mean deeeeeeeep: forests, two-lane roads, ahh, you get the picture.

You might be thinking that this is a small price to pay for having food on the table, but it was such an issue that it was brought up twice by my interviewers today...because they know what traffic is like in this city. It took me 40 minutes to get there today traffic-free. Who knows what it'll be like during daily rush hours!

Other instances of such imperfections in the past:

1. Love what I'm doing and professional development opportunities, but horrible boss.
2. Love the city I'm working in, organization and my co-workers, but horrible salary.
3. Love the proximity of my workplace to home, but crazy co-worker and no opportunities for advancement.

Is there a "perfect" job out there for me? Will the stars ever align? Will my career stop mirroring my lovelife just this once? Ha!

EPIK Proportions

I wasn't even thinking about this, but I somehow ended up finding information about the 2009 EPIK Program after perusing through the Republic of Korea's Seattle Consulate website. South Korea's EPIK is what JET is in Japan.

For my veteran blog readers, you may remember that in 2005, after a long application process, I was accepted into the JET Program, but had turned the opportunity down due to what was then thought of as a "better" job ("better" meaning better-paying and more aligned with my marketing degree). The said job turned out to be a bust and I ended up buying a plane ticket to Manila instead and spending the next 22 months discovering how American I was in the homeland. ;P Regardless, it was the best experience ever and I wouldn't have experienced it had I not done the unthinkable.

So, four years later, EPIK enters the picture. Is this just a coincidence? Some issues to consider:

1. No teaching positions are in Seoul. There goes my BigBang concert opportunities. Ha!
2. Pay is quite low for me and my bachelor's-degree-holding-self.
3. Whereas JET's application process takes some 10+ months, EPIK's process is only 3 months and no, I don't consider this as a good thing.
4. This experience would be a lot funner if I were doing it with a friend.

I can't believe I saw this on the eve of my first job interview of the season. Aigoo! Let me know if any of you guys know anyone who has done this.

Happy Hour

Why is it that when you don't have an income anymore, everyone seems to want to get together to eat/drink? I'm here trying to figure out whether people are consoling me for my loss or celebrating my new-found freedom that they wish they had from their equally horrible corporate life. In any case, yesterday's happy hour allowed me to find out about the World Baseball Classic game, which I wouldn't have known had I not been at a bar (I didn't even know such a competition existed!).

While Japan and Korea take their rivalry quite seriously, I was simply happy to see both teams from the two countries that I'll be visiting very, very, very soon. But darn those baseball caps for making it difficult to see which team had the cutest players.

Let Freedom Ring

You know that stage in a relationship when it's not working out and you want to break it off, but you haven't had the guts to utter those very words that would allow you to be free? So, you're still together, but in your heart and mind, it's over and you're just waiting for the other person to initiate "The Talk."

Well, yesterday, my supervisor finally uttered those words that set me free: I was laid off. Before you gasp, send your deep regrets, and ask if I'm okay, there's no need (okay, maybe it would be nice to show your concern, but no rush. LoL). When I'm devastated about something, I see darkness, but I seriously see the light in this case. Very bright lights...of Akihabara. Kidding!

I'm sure that when I get back from my vacay and the frustration of jobhunting sets in, I'll be crying for help on here, but right now, I'm quite indifferent about the whole situation. I haven't been happy at work for months; it's hard to be happy at a place where your God-given talents are not utilized to the full extent or that you're surrounded by people who don't have the same work ethics as you do. It didn't help much when four of my fellow Asian-American co-workers left in the span of one year and I was the only one left behind by mid-December with no one to talk to.

As with everything in life, I know this happened for a reason and I'd like to think that this is a blessing from God. Funny because last week's sermon in church had something to do with the current state of the economy (people's dependence on material wealth and the devastation that occurs when one gets laid off) and my prayer during communion was for God to show me the right path. What was today's sermon about? Seeing the light (in reference to the blind man)! And when my supervisor came into my office yesterday to deliver the news, I was actually spring cleaning my office. Imagine that.

So, if anyone knows of any Marketing/Communication job openings in travel/technology/media sectors, let me know about it. It doesn't matter if it's in-state, out-of-state, or even out of the country because I'm very much free and ready to take on a new path. :)

Change of Heart

Maybe I've been asking God for the wrong person in my life.

God, I've always asked you (when I remember to ask you) for a pogi, straight, tall, funny, witty, promdi, God-fearing, twenty-something boyfriend. Yes, this has been going on for ages. Today, I admit that I've been asking you for the wrong person. I've realized that more than anyone in this world, I'd like to have a boss/supervisor who doesn't make my life a living hell. Hopefully, you'll let me have this person in my next career move. Yes, You heard it right: no more Piolo; just a boss worth working for.

Marketing Me

If you ever want to feel useless with a marketing degree, then just go to a career fair:

"Sorry, we're not hiring marketing people right now."
"We're looking for engineering and IT people."

Dammit. It's like 2003 all over again (the year when I graduated) and finding a marketing position was next to impossible. This career fair is actually at my alma mater; I decided to go because I had to try everything and exhaust all opportunities to find a new job. But really, my going tonight was just a simple revelation of what I already knew: the bad economy isn't kind to marketing folks...even pretty ones like me.

Change as a Verb

I took the day off today to watch the live coverage of the presidential inauguration. More than simply witnessing history in the making, I wanted to be inspired, to be moved, to be changed, but I realized one thing: that change as a noun requires change as a verb. In order for change to happen, one must take action.

I remembered 2005 and how I bought a plane ticket, packed my bags, and went to the Philippines. No excuses, no dillydallying, no second guessing, no fear. Nike would've been proud of me for living its mantra of "Just do it."

When finding a job there took longer than usual, I didn't give up. Determined by God knows what, I just kept trying and trying until I finally succeeded. Maybe I was out to prove everyone wrong or maybe it was my being stubborn, but in the end, I was a better person because of all of it. And personally, I proved to myself that taking the road less traveled definitely made all the difference.

So fast forward to 2009: I hate my job and getting out of it is proving harder than usual. I can blame it on the economy, but I'm blaming myself. Where is that determined, no-fear-but-fear-itself-thinking girl from 2005? I know that I'm currently not her because whenever I read job postings, I can hear myself thinking, "No, you can't do that." Or I'm simply *thinking* about better things and not going after them with gusto as I had done before. My gosh, I am soooo better than this.

Dear self, may you be inspired, may you find that person you once were, and may you take the necessary actions to find the change you wish to see in the world.