Growth is uneasy. And this will be one of my growth manifestations (sorry for not qualifying the term “growth”) that the public will ever witness. My friends and I had a serious question back in college after [...]]]>

Growth is uneasy. And this will be one of my growth manifestations (sorry for not qualifying the term “growth”) that the public will ever witness. My friends and I had a serious question back in college after I published my last The Way We Plan (TWWP) entry, college edition. TWWP is actually my annual attempt to showcase the planners and/or journals of my college friends. I think I’m just obsessed with organizing my life to the extent that I want to see and share how other people do it (through choosing a planner, that is). Or, maybe, I just want to showcase my friends. Or, maybe, the former has more truth in it.

Back to that difficult question, how do I showcase  the planners of my corporate colleagues without “annoying” them amidst corporate turmoil? Will they regard this tradition of mine as a juvenile act? Well. I don’t know. But this is something I really know: When you graduate to the corporate world, you’ll think that everything about college is a component of a very large playground where kids play with shiny red balloons and dirty sneakers. You thought that college is a big serious (and political) stuff until you meet a new monster in the survival camp. For the record, I don’t underestimate my college years. Having a career, is just different. Just different.

Anyway, for continuing the tradition, I’ll present the planner I am currently using:

Yes, it’s the almost overrated Starbucks Planner. Please don’t mind the messy cover, thanks. Anyway, I haven’t seen time as gold for a while so I just considered the planner that first came to my mind. Every after work during the December of last year, I go to Starbucks, sip some whatever Frappuccino or whatever Christmas Frappuccino, go home and do my corporate homework–almost not looking forward to getting The Season’s Most Coveted Planner. Man, I just want a planner. I got the Wood variant because the two other variants are not my type. Wow, I love simple reasoning.

Bookmark with the Iconic Cup

The Good: The prestige (nah, of you’re looking for one) of having more or less 2 grand worth of planner; nice paper–acid free I think? At par with Moleskine’s; Simple and Straightforward–it’s nothing but a planner! Well, with some promotional coupons inside.

The Bad: Limited designs–and those designs have limited fans; the artistic paper structures on the cover are fragile–I think I just broke a piece (see the last photo at the gallery above); You can never be unique. Worse, you can be branded as a poseur. Haha.

The Lowdown: If you just want a decent, elegant planner without worrying too much about the presence of too many options, then get it.

I use this planner both for business and personal life planning (it is actually less serious and grandiose than it sounds). However, the company I am working for also gave us one:

Just like the SB Planner, it’s simple and straightforward. Except: I have my name on it (yey?) and it can remind you about work all the time (yey?). Haha. I use the SB Planner [more] just because I got it first and I started planning my year with this Wood-like journal already. Yes, the train of thought needs to have a single track.

Going back to “growth”, I think this process or term has been used extensively in the modern business and psychology literature to the extent that we use such at no-brainer will. We know its simplest definition but, more often than not, we use it as a whimsical pinky promise to self. As a kid who lived a hardcore independent life for some time, I believe I am slowly imbibing its truest principle-based essence. Do not grow for growth’s sake because you won’t grow anyway. Growth is more than a promise to self. It’s something you plan for more than 24 hours of Buddhist-like self-reflection (yes, I’m serious). You engineer your habits and your lifestyle. And, the prerequisite of it: You need to leave something behind, even how uneasy or uncomfortable it may seem.

When you take a look at my last year’s installment for the TWWP series, it seems that I just enjoyed doing such as if I don’t have any more sensible things to do. I enjoyed doing it and I am willing to continue the tradition. However, my present life context isn’t applicable to a jumping-for-happiness entry anymore. I gone more formal and business-oriented I think (thank you, career).

This could be the last entry of the The Way We Plan series. Starting this year, It’ll be continued as The Way I Plan–not because I’m selfish (duh) but because I want to have a more personal reflection about personal [life] planning in general. If you noticed, I put a lot of dramatic growth shit here as compared to the previous installments of the said series. I assure you, this is not the last thing I’m leaving behind or the last thing I’m changing. And this is definitely not the last thing that would manifest my personal growth. This is not a pinky promise. This is a big manly thumb assurance (hah!). So, where’s the gargantuan tear drop to top my dramatic ending?

For those who want to look back and create an aura of nostalgia, here are TWWP links for 2009 and 2010:

1. The Way We Plan 2009
2. The Way We Plan 2010

I had double cheese burger for dinner. That means a double-the-fun yet double-the-cholesterol meal. Weirdly, every time I eat one, the urge to write comes as a divine force. Divinity, for me, is all about accepting something you don’t [...]]]>

I had double cheese burger for dinner. That means a double-the-fun yet double-the-cholesterol meal. Weirdly, every time I eat one, the urge to write comes as a divine force. Divinity, for me, is all about accepting something you don’t really expect at all. It is something that you know you don’t deserve but accepts it anyway because you feel it gives a burden on your name. I pull my inspiration to write from this elysian force so that all my brains would work. Amen to you, dear cheeseburger. Anyway, I already have a job–but I won’t talk about it here because I believe that this matter deserves a separate entry. What I want to write about is a crystallization of all the learnings I imbibed during the painfully long process of job hunting.

1. Treat yourself as a brand. I read a management-related article about Lady Gaga (LG) and how she (he?) endured the rocky climb to popularity. In the lens of brand management, LG could be the epitome of effective icons and brands. She has a weird name but it’s so remember-able that it has penetrated every nation’s lingua franca. She might be a conglomeration of different pop icons but she was able to define herself uniquely and was able to prevent the explosion of the notion that she’s just a derivative. Lastly, she maintains a pool of loyal supporters and makes sure that they’re regularly engaged. Every time I have a job interview, I need to make sure that the employer will pick me among the different competitor brands. Don’t be a generic brand. And don’t be a branded commodity without strategic personal marketing. You are free to put any price on your tag–but make sure you’ll be worth the employer’s money. There are still many marketing strategies out there. I suggest you read some of them and contextualize them to your job hunter persona. Sooner or later, you’ll be selling like hot pancakes. With maple sauce and bacon on the side.
   

   Wear frogs, if necessary. | Photo from GlamourVanity.com

2. Don’t just be unique, stand out too. Many job hunters would boast about uniqueness as their personal asset. But hey, I think that’s pretty given. Employers would not really see that uniqueness factor in a one hour or less encounter. Or worse, they just won’t care or give a damn. Here’s what I do: I think how I can be unique then I think how I can stand out. Being outstanding is an explicit way of showcasing your unique abilities. On the other hand, being unique is an explicit way of telling someone that you’re different; telling people that you’re different does not make any sense until you answer the annoying question: “So what?”. Answering such question gives you the momentum to stand out.
3. Break the rules. A job opening is very noisy especially on the “qualifications” part. You read the job description and it wows you like it gives you the feeling that such job is your calling. Endorphins overflow until you start reading the qualifications. Female. 25-30 years old. Strictly honor students from reputable schools. If you feel that it’s your dream job, just go and click that Big Blue Apply Button. You have a pair of balls and a phallus. You are 21 years old. Your GPA is one inch short from the the Latin Honors list. Who cares? I had at least 3 interview appointments that, in principle, I shouldn’t had if the qualifications were Nazi strict. One of my friends just got a position even though he fell short on one of the post’s requirements. Go ahead, be Spartan (or Persian) brave.
4. Share your story and hear their stories. I don’t know if it’s just me–but I always tell my job hunting adventures to my close friends and invest some time in hearing their versions. The discourse during those conversations would not just boost your confidence in reaching for that job but, more importantly, will also give you the idea that you’re not alone. You are all in this together, and it shows when you stand hand in hand, you can make your dreams come true. What an inspirational song. Lastly, it gives you The Pressure. All of your friends just got a job. What are you doing, sir?
5. Intimidation is natural but transform it into a positive vibe. There’s an inside joke in my circle of friends–only people from this school and from this degree program can penetrate the walls of this venerated company. I believe that such inside joke replicates itself into other cliques as well. Mga Anak ng Diyos lang ang tinatanggap dyan! is a funny yet almost true statement I can read in some online message boards. Recently, I got into the last stage of an employment process wherein the shortlisted applicants have one thing in common: They came from this school. As a UP graduate, I know I have the guts to bring out my ninjuh swords and exhibit my ninjuh moves but I can’t help but to feel intimidated. You know what, intimidation urged me to take more confidence pills and to step up a notch higher so that I can steal the limelight. Intimidation will make or break you–just those two things. Of course, you have to take the good option. You guessed it right, eventually, I got the job. *poses like a ninjuh* On a different note, your fellow applicants, more probably, are also intimated by your presence. C’mon, intimidate them a la Art of War. Of course, I still promote a cheerful and friendly atmosphere between applicants.

Two months worth of job hunting is really a tiring process but it’s still a learning experience after all. I know that I’m already giving a cliche ender to this entry but it is so true I can’t help but to spill it without being afraid of banality haters. These five things are just the major ones but I can still think of many derivative or corollary learnings. Of course, these things worked at least to me though I believe that they can be generalized in the right context. I suggest that you transform these things into your own by considering your values and personal schemata. The world is yours to conquer, Mr. Job Seeker. And, oh, don’t forget to bring your cheeseburger–you need its divine powers every now and then.

I have attended several job interviews already and I realized that the most recurring question is: “What’s your weakness?”. Before I go to my interview appointment, I rehearse my answers to the most common interview questions–and I do it [...]]]>

I have attended several job interviews already and I realized that the most recurring question is: “What’s your weakness?”. Before I go to my interview appointment, I rehearse my answers to the most common interview questions–and I do it in our house’s comfort room. There’s something in the CR that makes me more eloquent and that conditions my mind to deliver kick-ass answers. If there’s a company that holds their interviews in such sacred room, I’ll come out as a highly revered saint.

Weakness a la Twilight | From Dilbert.com

Anyway, let’s go back to the topic at hand. You guessed it, I have a ready answer for that common question. And I formulated it in such a way that it will appear as a strength too. They said it, “weakness” should be a double edged sword but you have to minimize the penetration of the edge pointing at you.

Being very keen to details or being obsessive compulsive is my weakness. I devote a huge amount of my working time to check every detail at hand. With it, you could consider me as a slow worker because I make sure that every aspect is checked and polished.

Guess what? A masked weakness won’t be sold even if you put a luxurious price tag on it. Every time I give my template answer, my interviewer asks for more. And I give another canned weakness. And my interviewer asks for more. I gave a real weakness and my interviewer was satisfied like a fisherman who caught a big fish after hours of butt-aching fishing. These fishers want the fresh catch, and not the canned one. Here’s something I found after some little research about “canned weaknesses”.

“What is your greatest weakness?”

Be careful with this one. Most interview guides will tell you to answer it with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, “I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do,” or “I’m a bit of a perfectionist.” Interviewers have heard these “canned” answers over and over again. To stand out, be more original and state a true weakness, but then emphasize what you’ve done to overcome it. For example: “I’ve had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better myself. This has sometimes backfired because I’d end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I’ve taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques, and I feel I’ve overcome this weakness.”

IMPORTANT: Be sure the weakness you talk about is NOT a key element of the position!

It is a given that we are not perfect. It is a given that we have our personal weaknesses. It is a given that we can readily admit them one by one. But, it is not a given that all people will admit them without thinking about pride.

Source: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com/questions.html

Observant people tell me that I blog more often than before. Well, I think it’s even an understatement. I rarely blog every day, or even every week–I think I blog only twice or thrice a month. And this is [...]]]>

Observant people tell me that I blog more often than before. Well, I think it’s even an understatement. I rarely blog every day, or even every week–I think I blog only twice or thrice a month. And this is a justifiable excuse because of the different justifiable forces that prevent me to do so. If something justifiable inhibited you to do something, then the direct causes of inhibition would also be as justifiable. This is the kind of logic I sustain in my values stream that kept me breathing. But I guess this won’t work in the crazily fast-paced lifestyle of the 21st century.

My boss during my first internship tells me this before an actual work: I trust you, you know what to do. Beyond that bragging smile I pose to exhibit a sugar-free confidence, I was actually telling myself: WTF. What are those things I know? The society is becoming less of a rational organization because contemporary norms standardize trivial knowledge–making it automatic. Okay, I actually didn’t get what I just said. Haha. The point is this, people become automatic due to their struggle for rationality. This is bit of an irony but it’s something I can observe–with myself at least. I am rational but my generated rationalities become an involuntary pool of knowledge, ready to spill anytime it needs to. This kind of philosophical inquiry might piss you off because you can’t understand the ultimate point of this. My Philosophy professor told us before: Philosophers and social scientists are the worst writers. Richard Rorty and Ludwig Wittgenstein would the best examples to prove such point. And I’m a bad writer when I’m writing about philosophy–or some sort of it. Actually, this blog entry is supposed to tackle about my new planner. As you can see, the original plan isn’t fulfilled. Haha.

Wish against the heavens

To compensate for my bad writing style amidst philosophical inquiry, I will make an effort to link what I said in the previous paragraphs and buying (or obtaining, since I didn’t buy mine) a planner. For a twenty year old kid like me, it is expected that I will act in the most ideal forms of maturity. I have concrete sets of values which were made through a complex mixture of experiences and rationalities. But some point in my life as a mature person, I realized that I have to reformulate those sets of values to allow more room for rationality. A nice planner/journal helps me to do so. I just scanned over my three journals (for the last three years) and I saw myself as someone who knows everything and someone who won’t jerk a tear for something I don’t know. I want to strive to do something even if something justifiable inhibits me to do so. I want to grow. Wish me luck. Yes, even a excessively rational person like me believes in luck. Gotta start planning now. :)

This picture was taken during a cycling event in Taguig City, near Market! Market!, when Jorron, Noemi and I served as support staff for the said event. I told Jorron to take a picture of me while I am [...]]]>

This picture was taken during a cycling event in Taguig City, near Market! Market!, when Jorron, Noemi and I served as support staff for the said event. I told Jorron to take a picture of me while I am sitting on the point where these yellow lines meet. There was no sensible rationale for such act but I asked for a picture anyway. I was on an intersection, I am on an intersection.

The semester that was

The second semester of our junior year is the hardest semester to date. More than that, I did not expect that the recent semester was that hard. College life would be a hard life, that’s the thing I have whole-heartedly accepted since second year. Pero tang-ina, literal na hindi na ako natutulog at literal na mamamatay ako sa mga pinapagawa ng mga professors.

*breathes in, breathes out*

I am at least happy that I survived the semester with flying colors. My sanity threshold met the concept of adjustment.

Politika

Politicking is a necessary vice, a necessary evil. The only way to defeat politics is to use politics itself. I can almost equate socializing to politicking, but I felt a greater human value that could draw the demarcation–friendship. The past few months were full of politics, politicians, politicking and politicization. Some were stupid enough that I just catch the pitched ball, squeeze it and put it in my pocket. I am glad it is over; I am returning you the ball. Friendship and politics may part ways, but they shall meet again.

Internship

Theory meets practice. The things I do in my internship career includes…

*Non-disclosure agreement signed*

Haha, seriously, I will be having a series of blog posts that would highlight my internship career. Watch out for it!

Weight gain (But where’s height gain?)

I am 66 kilograms heavy as of my last dinner. Nah, okay, I’m getting fat. In a euphemistic statement, I’m getting hot. LOL. I am happy with my current weight  since I want to gain one. The next step, is to turn my man flesh into toned muscles. LOL. This part is so gay. Anyway, I also want to be a little taller. I am doing all the things that could make me tall–from the facts to the urban myths that dominated the egoistic men’s crowd. Ladies and gentlemen, This is Operation 180 Centimeters.

ALPSaguado.com

The last time I had my last post was during the night of March 9th. After that day, I rode a space shuttle bound to Milky Way’s blackhole. Anyway, I just changed my theme to Commune, a child theme of Thematic. It’s simple and easy on the eyes. And it’s green! Yuh, yellow green. New look, same great taste. I have a lot of stories to tell. Come here, listen. :)

Where to go

When you are in an intersection, life would give you several options. You may go back, you may go forward. You may turn right, you may turn left. I still stand here, on this little space of intersection that crammed a lot of moments. A marked stone will be buried here, buried under the humble earth that witnessed everything. Now, I shall move forward. When I am lost, I will look for that marked stone to remind me where I am, and at the same time, to remind me where I came from.

Sometimes, you don’t know where you’re going but you know you’re in the right way.

Don’t over-think, Don’t ask. Don’t doubt, just trust. This way please.

—

My Psycholinguistics professor told us something about grades:

Hear, hear I say. I’m not getting gaga over grades but as much as possible..

Vianne: I have read it* already. BITTER. Haha. And i saw a lot of guys agreeing with you. Haha, natatawa na lang ako. You’re blaming Edward because you guys hated the ideal guy that edward is. Because.. I should [...]]]>

Vianne: I have read it* already. BITTER. Haha. And i saw a lot of guys agreeing with you. Haha, natatawa na lang ako. You’re blaming Edward because you guys hated the ideal guy that edward is. Because.. I should not continue.. Too bad words.. Peace!

aLps: I’m not striving to be ideal, to be perfect, and I am happy I am not Edward Cullen. Girls would be girls. And hard it may seem to be, boys let them be.

So let the boys be themselves.

*http://infinity8.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/nonexistent/

What’s the fuss all about Edward Cullen?!

In every social networking site and blog I go, Edward Cullen is there. My girl friends, moreover, are going gaga over this fictional character. Janelle once requested me to [...]]]>

What’s the fuss all about Edward Cullen?!

In every social networking site and blog I go, Edward Cullen is there. My girl friends, moreover, are going gaga over this fictional character. Janelle once requested me to read Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight too see how a guy would react to this for-girls novel. And I haven’t finished it. I believe I wasn’t motivated that much (If it wasn’t Janelle who requested me, I won’t read it actually :P). Just one observation in the novel: Cullen is &%**& overrated. Haha. He is the epitome of perfection every girl would fall for.

And I hate him. Haha.

If there’s one lesson every girl should learn, it would be this:

The ideal guy is nonexistent.

*Evil grin*

Hey, I’m here, if you want someone existent. :P