The Reunion (not the movie)

Ang reunion habang dalaga at binata, samantalahin. Dahil pag nag-asawa at hindi kilala ng barkada. Wala na. Hindi na “makukutaptapan.”

Reunion doesn’t need to be a big event. It could be as simple as going to a fast food restaurant and wait for your friend from Singapore to come and treat the gang. And as the song goes, ‘Kay tagal mong nawala, babalik ka rin. Babalik ka rin!’ Welcome to the Philippines Ms. Desiree de Jesus!

Last year’s reunion was a big success. We were able to meet and greet those long lost classmates. Some when from fat to fab others thin to thick. And today is yet another memory to cherish. Our batch was reunited once more. Fewer but sweeter. Simple but terrible. And as always we never miss to make a very noticeable presence in our favorite meeting place.

As there years go by we cannot neglect the fact that we’ll all have our own life. It’s normal that we won’t be seeing each other more often. But let us not forget that no matter what happens, even we’re distance apart, we’re all still friends. We’re still those young hearts back in high school, yearning for a friendship that could last a life time. Naks!

Ninong Dave

"Ang pagiging ninong ay hindi isang responsibilidad bagkus ay isang biyaya. Naks!"

If there was one thing I’m proud of myself now, it’s me being a willing Ninong (Godfather). I have a handful of godchildren and counting. I like the idea of being a Ninong, a second father. It gives me this sense of gratefulness that somehow I am blessed. Now let me tell you the story of my recent baptismal rite experience – a very special one. The mother of the baby was my dorm mate during college and guess what the father was actually related to my mother’s mother side. It’s a small world after all.

I have attended several seminars conducted prior to the ceremony. But last Sunday was the most disturbing seminar I had ever heard. There was this old lady discussing some points about the baptismal rite. I don’t know if I should laugh or what but it became uncomfortable. And I quote: “…anak ng demonyo ang batang hindi binyagan…hindi siya anak ng Diyos.” Wow! What a statement. Maybe she should try a more subtle way and not too harsh. We all know that getting baptized is our way of welcoming a child to the Christian world but please be careful when doing seminars like this. You might suffocate the delicate mind of the baby.

All I can say is Welcome to the Christian world Baby Dazel! Be a good boy.

Daveil's Red Day

Filipinos would most likely say, “Malayo yan sa bituka, wag kang mag-alala.”

Over the past few days the heaven is pouring so hard and several cities and provinces are declaring a state of calamity already. We are still lucky there’s no storm signal yet although the monsoon rain is very alarming. But how much are we prepared for emergencies like these? 

When there’s a bad weather it is advisable to stay indoors and make sure you have enough stock of food and first aid kit. You’ll never know what will happen so you should always be prepared. Unfortunately I was not expecting I’ll be using my first aid kit any sooner. 

Tonight when I was cleaning my bathroom I accidentally hurt myself. Upon standing I hit the faucet giving me an inch big scratch on my back. At first I thought I was just swollen but when I touched my back there’s blood. So I hurried to my cabinet and grab something to clean it. I had a hard time placing the improvised gauze made from tissue paper and checkered band-aid. I took me some time to fix it and I hope I won’t get worse tomorrow.

This article is brought to you by Mediplast Plastic Strip, lintik kung kumapit!

The Boss Psychology III

(continued from The Boss Psychology II)

Try to delegate task accordingly. Tasks should be given to the right person. Each member of the team has his expertise so make sure you know you them. Don’t expect a designer do a developer’s task. It will just waste your time; if no one can do it yourself.

Coffee breaks have this mystical power of reinvigorating the team. Not only does it awaken the senses but it also helps loosening tension. One of the best perks of being a boss is you get to have someone make your coffee, luckily my team did this for me when we had a good coffee at the office. Drinking coffee like a boss, ayos!

All of these are good in writing but hard on acting. Well I’m not perfect. I usually loose my temper but I’m trying my best not to be a horrible boss. Sometimes I don’t really want to call myself a boss, it sounds negative. I would most likely prefer to be called a team leader or something like that boss.

(started on The Boss Psychology I)

The Boss Psychology II

(continued from The Boss Psychology I)

Check listing tasks. Write on a white board all of the tasks per person. Let everyone on the team see it. Put a check on each mark whenever they finish a task. Remember as a team leader you should be the one checking as this feels more rewarding to your teammate. And as for those who are not performing well they’ll be pressured when they see other teammate’s list getting checked. Use different color for the check. This will not only give emphasis but will also trigger eye for the brain to work harder. 

Be visual. When trying to explain something complicated use diagrams. Give good example which your team can easily relate to. Make sure they will be able to grasp the idea and goal of the task you are giving them.

(continue on The Boss Psychology III)

The Boss Psychology I

I’m a terrible boss. I know for a fact that I have an attitude problem but let’s not forget the fact that they also have some attitude problem. Would that be fair enough?

During college we had this one subject about General Psychology. Well, the basic stuff of how man thinks and reacts. I never thought that this would be so much useful at work. With some basic tools you can actually run a team and show them who the boss is.

With the nature of my work and the tasks assigned to be you can consider me a boss but not like those you see on television or movie. I had a hard time convincing myself I’m a boss already, technically speaking. Currently I’m supervising a small team of programmers and I had to put an extra effort both for my team and for myself to be able to accomplish all our tasks. And here some few tips that proved to be effective in handling a handful of mischievous gremlins.

Positive reinforcement works best. Accomplishing a task could be more inviting when there’s a reward. Simple thing like pizza or even kutkutin (butong pakwan, korniks etc.) would be fine would be fine. It’s one good way to excite and savor them. Always remember a sure way to a man’s heart is to his stomach.

(continued on The Boss Psychology II)