Give the Day a Chance to Start

Monday, November 28, 2005

Dilemma

A lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:30

Just a few days ago, I was faced with the biggest dilemma--at least I thought I was. So bothered and confused was I that I actually had a bit of difficulty falling asleep, and mind you, that doesn't happend too often. At the end of every long day, I'm usually out cold the moment my head hits the pillow. But that dilemma just kept the wheels of my head turning and turning and turning...

Last week, I received a call from a very good friend of mine. He offered me a good opportunity of pursuing a job at one of the more distiguished companies in the call center industry. The job definitely offered better chances for career advancement, alongside a package more appealing than the one I am currently getting from my present company. It wasn't so much the material benefits that made me consider the offer though, but rather, it was the seemingly more promising career path that attracted me to my friend's proposal.

That night, I anxiously told my parents all about it over dinner, but much to my disappointment, they didn't seem as excited about the offer as I was. I got initially hurt by their seeming lack of support for me, but it was by the end of the meal that I was more saddened by the fact that they were right about their reason: the location of the company. It's all the way at Cainta for crying out loud! According to them, the perks of this new job would not be worth the hassle of traveling that far, amidst all the traffic jams, everly single working day. After much consideration, I decided that I will have to trust them on that. They know what they're talking about because they did that for years when we still lived all the way down south and they had to drive up north every day for work. Come to think of it, I also travelled all the way from Paranaque to UP for my first two years of college. I almost literally lived in the car.

Besides, it's not as if I'm unhappy with the work I'm doing now. I've already prayed about this, asking God to give me peace about my decision to stay. God knows I wouldn't want to look back on this and regret not having even tried. I got the answer to my prayer come Saturday during Bible study. Some of the friends I shared my dilemma with, who lived around the Cainta area, convinced me about how terribly hard it is to get there. They themselves said that the traffic there is utter chaos 24/7! It'd be difficult getting up in the morning, worrying about traffic even before the actual daily grind in the office now, wouldn't it?

So, location isn't such a flimsy consideration for a place of work. I thought it was, but I guess I thought wrong. I shouldn't feel bad over turning this "better offer" down. It ISN'T all that better after all. More opportunities will come along--ones that won't have a catch to it. I'm blessed to have people I can trust and look to for advice. I won't be hard-headed. I will listen. Dilemma solved.

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20

Friday, November 25, 2005

At long last

Finally, my boring blog has a new look to it all thanks to my sister. I'd been meaning to change the layout for the longest time, but I never got the chance to do so because of work work work. Thankfully, my sister was patient (and talented) enough to do all the dirty work. And she didn't even charge me for it. Imagine that! She's the bestest best sister in the whole wide world!

Alright, that's enough for now. It's the least I can do to repay her, but the flattery is getting a bit too obvious it's beginning to sound contrived. Thanks, Ate! Enough said.

Lately, I've been frequenting my multiply site. Ellaine introduced me to the wonderful world of file sharing, and now, I can't but upload something new each time I'd go online. I swear, I have too many accounts online (myspace, hi5, friendster, ringo for crying out loud, etc. etc. etc.). This has got to stop! Teehee...

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Quotable quotes for the night

Having just come from a nice night out with friends, I'm left with this silly looking smirk on my face. It's a residue of all the laughs I had with them over coffee. Let me share three quotable quotes right here:

Quote 1: "My dad looks like Mr. Hobbes." That was already rephrased. I was referring to how my dad almost looked like the father character in the Calvin and Hobbes comics. Hmm, I had a Jessica Simpson moment right there.

Quote 2: "Si Beyonce parang bituka." My friend, Don, was talking about how Beyonce's dancing looked like to him in her Crazy in Love music video. By bituka, I think he meant "uod" or "worm" in English. You know, she was crawling, rolling, and turning about on wet cement. You get the idea.

Quote 3: "What? Gyrating?" That was a classic. We were ranting about how women don't promote girl power by dressing in skimpy outfits and gyrating/dancing in a lot of the media we see nowadays. That was Don's reply to my question when I said, "Girls only objectify themselves when they dress and dance that way. Why do girls even do that?" He apparently selectively heard that gyrating part alone. I didn't even know how to respond to his reply. Miko and I almost fell off our seats laughing.

I would've wanted to stay out later, but all this talk about car jacking has made me wary about driving around late at night. What has the world come to?

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Nerd moment

I never really thought of myself as a voracious reader. In fact, as a little girl, I preferred dolls to books and sunny days playing chinese garter outdoors to cozy afternoons in a library. Not until I entered college did I realize how fun it was to read. I started to regret having merely scanned through most of my book reports in high school. (Yes, I wasn't as conscientious a student as I appeared to be back then.) So, now that the interest has been sparked up in me, I'm making up for lost time by soaking in as much literature as I can get my hands on. Better late than never!

Eww... I sound like a nerd. But what the heck! I've always been one. No use denying it now after this entry.

I just finished reading my fourth Jostein Gaarder book. Sophie's World left such an impression on me when I had read it two years ago that I just had to splurge on more Gaarder books when I got my second paycheck. I've always been one to analyze things too much. Naturally, a philosophy book nurtured that inclination in me. However, after that fourth book - The Christmas Mystery- I feel as though I already have enough Gaarderisms in my system to last me at least until this year is over. Meanwhile, thanks to my sister - the true blue bookworm in the house - I just got a hold of Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. It's one of those books I just can't seem to put down. It's one of those books I completely ignored way back when I was still too engrossed watching the teley to bother with literature. And that's why I will have to cut this entry short. There's just so many books, so little time!

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Just the four of us

After roughly four months, it's back to the mother-father-sister-sister set-up in the house. *sigh*

That's a sigh of both relief and, I guess, a bit of sadness. My cousin, JJ, will be riding back to Baguio tonight. I'm glad that we as a family will finally have our private time together after having had to entertain additional "members" these past few months, but in a way, the silence here at home is deafening (cliche, I know). I will miss my cousins, Coco and JJ, since they'll be all the way over at Baguio. At this moment, I'm even regretting not having spent more time with them, being busy with work and all that jazz. Regrets... They always get the better of me.

At least we had fun this whole weekend. All we did was spend, spend, SPEND! Actually, all I did was spend. It was all me. From my frequent Starbucks cravings for fraplight, hearty dinner and chitchat with officemates, two consecutive visits to Galleria for their free wi-fi internet connection, to the movie/yogurtshakes/japanesedinner day out with a good, old buddy yesterday, I literally blew my budget--the money I'd been saving to buy a decent pair of new running shoes. Oh well, my only hope lies in the upcoming thirteenth month... *wink*

Still, don't y'all agree that it was money well spent since I was able to enjoy with people close to me? People really are the best investments (but it's also great to treat oneself to a couple of comfort drinks as well. teehee...).