FRIDAY FRAPPé! (A TGIF VERSION)

Yay!!! Time to party!!! Thank God it's Friday!!!

I hope those extra exclamation marks give justice to the energy level that I now associate with the expression. I had a decade's worth of normal weekends (with Friday being the last working day most of the time) but the project I am working on right now has me on call ala doctor for the ER. Since the project caters to a 24/7 kind of service, I have had first and last days of the week starting and ending not on the usual Mondays and Fridays. But hurray to hard work and prioritized schedules, my team and I are now enjoying the normal, usual schedule for work. ;-)

Today has been filled with laughter despite threats lurking around the corner. I guess, our resilient nature always gets the better of us, and whether with good news or bad news, we always tend to pass through the negativities and move forward. A lot of other Fridays have passed yet I am compelled to write only now. Maybe out of sheer joy for having survived another half a year, or having successfully alighted the overloaded train, or maybe because today is the only Friday that does not only end the week but the month as well (with reference to 2013, that is). What a real ender! :-)

In the haste of the fast-fading Friday, err, actually due to the loooooong queue at the UV Express terminal, I was able to list down some F-ing points as to why Friday deserves favorable feature.

1. FANCY FREEBIES

EOMs are loooked-forward-to moments for reaping what one has sown, that is, how much we have made the lives of others better (or easier, whichever applies) by satisfying their service needs. With the help of a spinning wheel, we get the price that we deserve. Sometimes, we get what we sooo want but oftentimes, we settle with what options are left. Much similar to life giving you apples when you wish for bananas - but you receive anyway and you eventually convince yourself that you are still at the winning end - better have apples than nothing. It's like wishing and praying for something you really want and God giving you what you need instead. Freebies on days like these include well wishes for a great weekend and lingering goodbyes and chats, as if the next Monday would come in after 365 days. :P

2. FLAVOR FEAST

Last days are almost equivalent to celebrations. These are days for rewarding oneself for a jobweek well done. Today, I had my once-a-week coffee and chocolate cake, and grabbed one bar of Snickers for munching while on the way back to the mountains. Ooops, sugar galore! Most Fridays though are buffet days with the team or with a group of friends. On special Fridays though, the flavor feast happens at a favorite watering hole, with the foamy and fizzy drinks adding so much more excitement and fun*. *Only as observed - only soda or juice for me. I envy those mighty guys whose tummies are, I would like to believe, made of steel ;-)

3. FRANTIC FAVORS

Over the frenzied atmosphere are busy bees either trying hard to get the assigned work completely done, or taking a chance of moving forward, to gain some steps ahead. Reminders, acknowledgements, sign-offs, recapitulation of key notes, recall of processes and evaluation are almost simultaneously accomplished. Last-minute emergency meetings are inserted into queueing times when all hands are on deck (really?), but only when we have already logged out from our cubes. Let not the weekend matter, err, let not the rest days bring us bad news, so continue working for as long as you can.

4. FORGIVE AND FORGET

Weekly report on metrics is part of every coaching session. Just like traffic lights, the score you get would tell us what our next course of action will be. As such, Green means GJKIP or good job, keep up the good work. The challenge would be to do better to help up the team's score. Yellow means wait, wait, wait. Be alert for the next clues as scores falling within this category are more of the make or break kind. One wrong move and we're dead. The challenge is to focus and pay attention to be able to land on the green field. Red means stop. Stop, look and listen. What have we been doing wrong? Deep-dive analysis, here we come! Oh no! But yes, we still will say "thank God it's Friday!" We are resilient, remember? There is always hope. And we can always push. We are still equipped with the courage of acceptance and the determination to do so much better next time, the willingness to start  anew and an open mind to consider priorities and goals to aim at. So, forgive and forget, let the lessons be learned. ;-)

5. FINAL FEELERS

While our minds are set on activities we have lined up to make the most of our weekend rest days, we continue to think about areas for improvement, we regress and reflect, we project metric summary to make it to the next level, or just survive to remain part of the project. Hmm, evaluation, termination, resignation, promotions - such a convolution before freedom. This could surely make us decrepit - makes us feel we are living our lives frivolously. But who's to say? We fight hard everyday. We work hard on every call. We truly, madly, deeply deserve the break. So, stats, please be kind. ;-)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Weekends start with this chilled delight.
Frappé coffee is a Greek foam-covered iced coffee drink made from instant coffee (generally, spray-dried).
 The word frappé is French and comes from the verb frapper which means to 'beat'.
Let's do the beat, let's party! :D
[Image from Google]

SHE's THE ONE!

(A recollection of memories. Dedicated to the most wonderful woman in the world!)

Finally! I am ready for a tell-all. This is the first of a series of stories about the woman I am so proud to be with - the woman who has been more than my partner, a love of my life, one I could not have lived without.

Yes, we have been together for a long time now and we have known each other for almost all my life. She is the only one who knows me inside out. She is my ultimate fan, my greatest supporter, my bestfriend (who could be my best enemy as well), my counselor, the wind beneath my wings, my greatest treasure.

She may be the face I can't forget, the trace of pleasure or regret, may be my treasure or the price I have to pay...

Kidnap me and she will be more than willing to be the ransom.  During the hardest (think famine-like) moments of our lives, she would even give me the piece she's about to eat. Never mind that she is uncomfortable, hungry or tired - for her, I come in first. She is an epitome of selflessness.



teenager Mama

She may be the song that summer sings, may be the chill that autumn brings, may be a hundred different things within the measure of a day...She may be the beauty or the beast, may be the famine or the feast, may turn each day into a heaven or a hell...

I still vividly remember the gloomy afternoon when she was called in for a conference with some authorities. I admit I had my share of being despicable. I tried to hide the truth from her, resulting to a much bigger trouble. I prepared for my banishment, for young as I was back then, I knew that was the most appropriate consequence of my action. I was ready to be punished. On the way home after the meeting, she did not utter a single reprimand, not a word as well. I thought I was saved. But, alas! What I saw hurt me more. She bore the punishment for me.

Just Married :-)

  

She maybe the mirror of my dreams, the smile reflected in a stream, she may not be what she may seem inside her shell....

She nags. She shouts. She gets mad. Yes, she is human and imperfect. But that's only when she was forced to make me learn the hard way.

She who always seems so happy in a crowd, whose eyes can be so private and so proud, no one's allowed to see them when she cries...

She is always optimistic. She is always energetic. She has worked like there was no tomorrow. She is always grateful, whatever the circumstance may be. She cries. Yes, she cries, but only when (she believes) I am already asleep. No matter how hard things get, she never shows weakness - for she is the energizer that keeps me moving forward, the motivation that reminds me to always strive to be better, the inspiration that allows me to settle for less for as long as I am happy.

Career woman Mama

She maybe the love that cannot hope to last, may come to me from shadows of the past that I'll remember till the day I die...

She taught me to face my fears, to be brave especially when I am alone. One midsummer night, she almost left me.  She has been unconscious for at least a week's time and when she was brought back to life, she did not have any recollection of all that was past. She forgot even my name. I thought it was the end of us. I have given up and accepted defeat, but she fought back really hard to return so as not to break my heart.

Mama after stroke

She maybe the reason I survive, the why and wherefore I'm alive, the one I'll care for through the rough and ready years...

Now, devoid of the strength that supported me through all my falls, she still manages to take care of me. I have grown - bigger and stronger than she ever could be at this point in her life - but I still am caught in moments when she stands taller, when she still provides the energy I need to go through this maze called life. How does she do it? Only she knows. Probably, only a great mother like her knows. I could only pray that I may be even as half as mighty as her...that I maybe her source of strength, too...that I may make her proud by being able to stand on my own.

[Though it was only lately that I have learned that she aspired to be a teacher, my heart leapt for joy knowing that I was able to realize that dream for her. I was thinking that maybe, secretly, she has prepared me for that decade of attempting to touch lives. Haha! She may get tired easily these days, and she may blame old age for her short-term memory (the stroke is the real culprit for Ma was as sharp as a tack), I will never ever get tired of teaching her the R's. Even if it takes us back to a-e-i-o-u's and 1-10 counting. I will always be the best of my teaching self to you, Ma.]

I'll take her laughter and her tears, and make them all my souvenirs, for where she goes I've got to be, the meaning of my life is she...

So, world, hear ya, hear ya! Meet my mother, my Mama - the source of my powers, my kryptonite, the best giver, the best teacher, the love of my life...

Happy Mother's Day, Ma! Thank you for loving me more than I love myself. I love you!

P.S. Check out the link below. A must read mother story.

My Mom Lied...Makes me More Ashamed...but Truly Loved



SUMMER RAIN

Don't you love it?

The heat of the sun quenched by the sudden gust of rain. Or sunrays becoming misty through raindrops, then rainbows!

Err, maybe not. Getting caught between rain and sun almost always ends up with us getting sick. No go. No, thank you.

Summertime! Hot, and wild. The rising temperature almost always makes people crazy. We adjust. Eventually, we find comfort in the costly cool breeze of an airconditioner or, enjoy sweet delight while feasting on halo-halo or icecream. Then it rains. The humid air is suddenly unwelcomed. The almost barren feet becomes covered by patches of moist dust and there is that sticky, perspir-y sensation that gives you one of the most undesirable, persistently irritating feeling. Speak about sudden changes which catch you unaware.

Think about it: you have labored through extended time gaining confidence that you have mastered what you are doing only to find out that at the last lap, when your energy is almost depleted, when you expected the ride to be smooth and easy, you would be faced with the steep-est uphill slope. Just when someone tells you to hurry because you are almost there, you find the last bend to be the most challenging turn of all. Just when the day of the most-awaited event drew near, you realize all the possibilities threatening to ruin the perfect ending you have been working so hard to get to. You may say, "aww, man! What a blitz!"

Then  the idea of defeat dawns on you...enough! Not the end yet, pal! You still stand a chance.

But just when you thought dry land was your last resort, rain came pouring down. And my, my, my - it did as if it has not done for the last century! Just when you finally let go and give up (on the plus side), suddenly more challenges take form. Just when you are out of breathe, the next gulp of life-sustaining air becomes for sale!

What a world! I surmise that despite the bright, scorching heat of the sun, you might be thinking of a cold, gloomy ending. Maybe right now, you would be "giving-it-all" to know what happened next. SECRET SURPRISE! That is what endings or concluding statements are for. ;-)

Addage says that the journey itself matters more than the destination, considering what you have gained, what you have learned, of course.

See, the journey is a map of exciting, emabarrassing, excruciating nonetheless educational elements and everything else in between.Those who do not die along the way become stronger. Those who suffer brain-ache become wiser. Those who, in one way or another, experience being crippled, stuck or useless become more adept and indispensable. The journey feeds on little journeys cycling through dream-believe-survives, ready-set-gos, ask-believe-receives and of let-gos and let-Gods. Each little part corresponds to steps taken one at a time, mini-goals accomplished to contribute to the desired end goal.

Charting traits would exhibit extremes such as being cowardly and courageous, meek and mad, darling and dangerous (nothing criminal, just maybe out of desperation when plans go awry).

Dangers and doubts are key players. Directions, detours and distractions do not only provide an extra heap of convoluted and confusing course of actions - they become venues for establishing faith in whatever or whoever keeps you one and whole and sane to continue moving forward.

Ahh, there you go! What really matters most is that you continue on. You never give up - even if it rains cats and dogs on a pleasant summer day and you are enjoying your gold-label ice cream while waiting for the sun to set. Even if you know that the sight will not be as glorious or as awesome as imagined, something good still comes out of it. Well, you don't know, maybe something peculiarly beautiful might come out of it.

Sunset at the Boulevard
(c) Google Images

As always, journeys come to an end - the end result of which will dictate the next fragment of herstory.

Regret for mis-steps, but do not dwell so much on them, only as much as learning from mistakes. As my team lead always reminds us - past is past, moving forward...

Resolve to better luck next time, err, to do better and be better next time.

Review courses taken, re-calibrate strategies, replenish resources spent - invest anew on time, talents, tools, and re-create scenarios and loose ends to seal the deal and be empty enough for the refill.

Rest for thou hast made significant contribution to your timeline. Peace be with others as well, for definitely, you have posted on their timelines, too.

Most of all, rejoice and be grateful that you came out of the big J alive. Nothing beats being given another chance. Life is really a never-ending cycle of starts and ends. So, level up! Always be ready like Barney Stinson. ;-)

Here's to the next step, to becoming better: --->Challenge Accepted!

Time Flies...Really Fast!

age
tic-toc
old and new

hellos and goodbyes

another set of candles to blow

earth colors fading from green to gold

hurrahs and graduation caps tossed in the air

terms of endearment changing from ija to auntie

increasing number of pages to read back on the journal

caps, sweaters, scarves and jackets piled neatly in the dresser

seasons of cool breeze and humid weather and extravagant travels

new set of information to write on forms particularly on the space before y/o

scorecards of greens (hopefully no reds) showing up in blasts and posts and boards

alarm sounding off, getting from one place to another, turning calendar pages, people leaving, loved ones dying, offsprings coming forth, projects and budgets, anniversaries and new chapters, accomplishements in missions, time beaten in races, checkmarks on the bucket list, number of torn sneakers, strands of white hair...

 

When caught in traffic while in a hurry, you painstakingly watch how every second goes by with the slow (or non)-moving vehicle you are in.

Close your eyes for two minutes and it may seem like eternity. I remember what my coach told me about the great difference between putting clients on virtual hold (i.e., with dead air) and putting them on real hold. If you are up for a very satisfying response, better entertain them with automated noise rather than make them feel left behind, alone with silence. Two minutes could be such a long time, relatively speaking.

Take a leave off for several days and when you go back to work, there is a great chance that you will be lost in track with the work process. But be gone and away from friends for a decade and you would still be chatting incessantly ala highschool years come reunion time. Like years have not passed at all.

Time goes by so fast that you almost always find yourself cramming just to beat it.

Time goes by so fast that sometimes the setting sun is mistakenly seen as the rising one.
Time goes by so fast that sometimes you wonder why you are in the midst of a different group of people.
Time goes by so fast that the number of what-ifs and could-have-beens increases without you noticing them.
Time goes by so fast that you either race against it, or just let it pass by, making the most of what you have and enjoying whatever remaining life years you have.

If only we could fly faster than time...
If only we have full control of it to manage it most wisely...
If only we could see the future to be prepared of what is to come...
If only we could turn back time to make better use of what has passed...
If only we were always set with the right mind to make ourselves most productive and deserving of the time lent to us..

Time is gold.
Time is an illusion.
Time is immemorial.
Time belongs to one who has nothing else.
Time is a thief that robs us of our past selves, subtly so.
Time is both most valuable and most perishable.
Time does not change us, it unfolds us.

Use time wisely. :D