Long Hours and Weekends

It’s Friday!

And I’m still at work! ACK!

I’ve been spending long hours at work lately because of all the…er, work, I have to do. For some reason, things have been piling up, both the real work and the extra curricular stuff. It feels like school all over again, with all the projects and extra curricular stuff that I used to be involved in. Couple that with the rainy season we seem to be experiencing lately, and I feel like Eastwood is my new Taft campus. Did that make sense?

In one of my meetings this past week, I was definitely feeling the stress (but that’s also because there was some kind of issue with the team before then, hence the more stress), but while I was at the meeting, I was feeling a bit…calm. My project teammates told me I look and act even more hyper when I have so much stuff to do. Eh, really? I didn’t notice.

But…maybe they’re right. Looking back, it’s not that I like having so many things to do, but my energy level doesn’t seem to die down, even if I was up to my ears with things to do. I’d like to believe I’m more focused than before and I finish everything on time, but that’s quite ambitious of me. :P I have learned, however, not to complain about the things I’ve committed to do. It’s pointless, see, when you accept some kind of responsibility and then end up complaining while you’re doing it. If the responsibility was forced on me, maybe I would complain, but I still had the choice to accept it or not. And once I’ve accepted a task, I always tell myself to follow through and to not utter any complaint when it gets hard…because it’s part of it. It’s like…buying prescription weight loss pills and then drinking them and then complaining of the possible side effects when it’s clearly written outside. Somekindalikethat. ;) Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, right? :)

Of course, I know I still complain every now and then…but I try as much as possible not to. So maybe that’s where my positive and hyper attitude is coming from despite of all the stress.

But…now it’s the weekend! Yes, and I think I’m done with all the things I need to do today. Which means, I can go home! FINALLY! And as of this writing, all my teammates have left. The night shift people aren’t in yet…so it’s only me in the team left in our area.

To all those on a trip this weekend, have a safe one and enjoy! To all those staying home (like me…sort of), enjoy your weekend too! :D

David Cook sings Switchfoot’s Dare You to Move

Like I said, I’m not much of an American Idol fan, and after David Cook’s Always Be My Baby, I hardly listened to any of the other songs anymore (I’m selective that way). But then I read from LandofBrokenHearts.org that David would be singing Dare You to Move…well, I just fell in love with him even more:

And of course, there’s the AMAZING I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing, which almost made me hyperventilate while listening:

Now, I’m no music know-it-all, and I am not saying he’s the best among the two other contestants (haven’t heard any song from the other two yet), but I love love love him. I love his rocker voice. And I love that he sang a Switchfoot song. ♥

Imagine this: David Cook and Switchfoot singing Dare You to Move together. Ahhh! Can I faint now?

David Cook FTW? I want to! But even if he doesn’t become American Idol, I’m sure he has a bright career ahead. :)

Globe gets the iPhone deal

Because everyone’s blogging about it (sort of), let me join the bandwagon. Here’s the official news from the Globe Corporate website:

Globe, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Optus to bring iPhone to the region
Manila, 12 May 2008 – Globe, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Optus today announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to the Philippines, Singapore, India, and Australia later this year.

More information will be released at a later date.

And all the while I thought it was Smart who’s going to carry the much sought-after iPhone. I can’t remember where I heard it, but turns out it’s not true anyway.

Interestingly, a friend and I had a discussion about how the iPhone totally changed how telecommunications companies get the handsets they package with their plans. Being an ex-employee of a mobile telecommunications company made me agree with what my friend told me. Usually, the handset providers (Nokia, Ericsson, etc) give their handsets to the company, and the company chooses which handsets they’d be including in their plans. But when it comes to the iPhone, Apple was suddenly the one who’d be choosing among the mobile providers. Talk about 180-degree turn, yes?

And now they’ve chosen.

Not that it really matters…for me, anyway. Even if I really love being a MacBook user, and I love my iPod, I’m not much of a fan of the iPhone. I know I’m a techie and all, but for some reason, I really don’t like extravagant phones. Maybe I was psychologically brainwashed witha ll the cellphone thefts I’ve seen and heard all my life, which is why I prefer nice yet not so eye-candy phone so I can text outside in peace. I’d be more concerned with my fancy cellphone than my luggage if that’s the case. See why I love Captain Tal (my Nokia 6233) so much?

Plus I really don’t like anything touch screen. I’d be OC to the maximum level and I wouldn’t enjoy the gadget if I don’t use it the way it should. :D

As for Apple’s choice…I kind of wish they chose Smart, only because I’m a Smart subscriber, but I don’t really care that much at all. It’s not like I’m going to get the iPhone anyway.

But…who knows. Maybe I’d change my mind. Heh. Let’s see if Apple can make me fall in love with the iPhone just like most of the people I know too. :P

Corporate Peace Corps

I’ve already heard about this around two to three weeks ago, but I only got to blog about this now (see how self-centered I can be? Ack):

IBM creates its own Peace Corps
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 08:34:00 05/03/2008

MANILA, Philippines — IBM is sending 600 of its employees to emerging countries over the next three years to do volunteer work involving IT.

IBM said the first 100 employees will be sent this year to six countries — Romania, Turkey, Vietnam, Ghana, Tanzania and the Philippines — to work on projects “that intersect economic development and IT.”

“It’s a corporate version of the Peace Corps,” said James Velasquez, country general manager for IBM Philippines, referring to the tech giant’s Corporate Service Corps initiative.

Thomas Veloso from the local IBM office was selected and will join nine more IBMers from the United States, Japan, China, India and the United Kindom as a team assigned to go to Tanzania in Africa.

More than 5,000 IBM employees worldwide applied for the program but only 100 were selected for this year.

In the Philippines, the IBM team will be based in Cagayan de Oro and Davao City in the South.

The team will create management information systems to track progress of loan and grant beneficiaries from the Philippine Development Assistance Program, according to IBM.

IBM is working with three non-governmental organizations from the US, Canada and Australia. These NGOs identify projects and local organizations the IBM teams can work with.

This is one of the coolest things I’ve heard at work ever. :) I love how the company is getting their people involved in helping. That’s why we were encouraged at work to go and volunteer for corporate social responsibility events, because it really has an effect. Thomas (Tom) Veloso used to be the GK-IBM head, and all his efforts are paying off with this amazing opportunity presented to him. :)

I’d love to have the same opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’d love if I would be granted one too, plus size clothing and all (um…right. What did I just write?). Maybe someday, I hope? :) Granted, I’d have to work doubly harder to get this, but it’s a good goal, right? :)

Maybe someday. In the meantime, let me finish all my deliverables. Heh.

Youth Camp Memories

I now remember another thing that I am reminded of during rainy afternoons, especially in May. Youth camps.

Summers used to be filled with YFC activities. I remember back in summer before fourth year high school, the moment I got back from the International Leader’s Conference in Cebu (ah the memories!), we were already starting to plan for the youth camp for the summer. There were lots of meetings going on, with venues to visit and dates to pick and participants to recruit. I was hardly home during the week because of meetings and fellowships — sometimes it feels like my YFC friends and I live in a single class A motorhome as we were always together. Every. Single. Day.

Fun times.

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