First Solo Business Trip

Who would have thought that after my Facilitation Mastery workshop in Singapore recently, I'll have an opportunity to do a business travel in Sydney, Australia on Feb 10-16. God's plans are really mind blowing.

This time, I travelled to personally observe a big and complex project that my manager has tasked me to manage overall delivery readiness that will be rolled out globally. This is also my first time to only have my luggage, books, and laptop as my companion all throughout.

The whole experience was unforgettable. I feel I was the main character in Eat, Pray, Love movie who is looking for something in her life. All my friends have known me as a strong, go-getter, and confident person, but deep inside I always have what ifs in my mind. What if I can't relate with the new culture, what if my foreign colleagues would judge me for being young and innocent, what if I will not enjoy, what if, what if, what if. Thank God, these thoughts did not last.

Solo Adventure
When I was in the airplaine going to Singapore and Sydney, I just enjoyed everything - good movies, sumptuous food, inspiring books, and comfortable seat to rest and lay back. Getting to an airport for the first time is weird - friendly immigration officer, different colors of skin and hair of people with different languages and gestures, and fresh air that seemingly welcoming me to the new world. From the moment  I stepped in Sydney, I feel I would love being there and would definitely go back.

When I put all my stuff in the hotel in a Sunday morning, I maximized the remaining hours to walk around the city. I saw nice architecture of buildings, struck by the beauty of opera house and harbor bridge, and surprised by cost of food and pasalubong stuff whenever I'm converting them in peso (haha, expensive!). Then, when the sun has set, I returned to the hotel to rest for another set of adventure at work.

HP Sydney Office 
Monday and it's my first time to go to HP Sydney Office to attend coach prep session and business meetings. It took 45 min. to travel from my hotel to the office. I love the building because it has a lot of trees.  Then, I am so happy to finally saw my foreign colleagues who are locales, from US, UK, India, NZ, China, etc. I don't mind if they are taller than me, I just enjoyed shaking hands with them, hugging people I'm closed with already, and conversing about work and other non-work stuff.

Then by afternoon, someone opened the door in a meeting room. A lovely lady wearing red blazer who run to hug me and say her warmest welcome and hello. It was my former manager who opened doors of opportunities and development in HP. I feel it was a dream come true appreciating I am working in a virtual world.

EG Sales Competency Workshop
This is it. The 3 day-large event with 400+ HP Sales force and Channel Partners finally started. Inspiring kick-off with cool speeches. Everything went smoothly from first to last day. HP L&D leaders also attended to observe and join business meetings in between. I savored every moment to listen, learn, help and engage.

On the last day of the workshop, which was also Valentines day, we had L&D Team dinner at an Italian restaurant. I love the food, wine, and laughs in between.

Here's our group picture.  Beautiful people, aren't we?

Play by ear
It was Friday and I feel I deserve to maximize my last day in Sydney to see what other wonderful things out there.  Good thing I have two other colleagues who were game to join me. We went to Taronga Zoo and Watsons Bay through Hop on Hop off ferry. I really enjoyed the whole experience - the food, the ferry ride ( I love standing in the front), the koala, platypus, and kangaroo, the hidden treasure in Watsons bay, and being with two guys who would just join you having fun.

I was bloated by wonders of what I've seen, I've felt, I've experienced, and I've learned. It was such an extraordinary blessing I have never imagined I would experience in my early twenties. 

Facilitation Mastery

Had a wonderful opportunity to participate in Facilitation Mastery in Singapore on January 14-18. Though I'm not a full-time instructor yet, I had a privilege to join HP L&D Delivery APJ Instructors for a week of  engagement and development.

Insights gained about Facilitation:

• It's not about you, it's all about your audience. Always focus on your audience' need and aiming to make them successful. 
• State point of objection of your audience in the beginning and lead to a benefit for them. In this way, you will let them feel that you are with them who can understand their concerns and you are there to help them. 
• Storytelling is powerful to play their emotions. Remember, if you let them think, follow it by letting them feel. 
• Training is like a stage performance, you really have to have good body language and voice to captivate your audience. 
• It's a very enjoyable job, all the effort during preparation and energy during the training are all worth giving. It is such a self-less work.

There is one thing that really made the whole workshop memorable to me. This was when I was randomly selected to demonstrate the framework we have learned on the first day.  I have millions of reasons to be nervous, get mental block, and back-out because my audience are very experienced trainers/speakers and delivery managers.  But God is just so great to provide the right words to say and override my very short preparation.  Surprisingly the feedback was overwhelmingly amazing and everyone is congratulating me. Such a wonderful blessing.

I'm excited following my dream of becoming the best facilitator that God wants me to be for my audience, in His perfect time. :)

Bohol Escapade

Bohol is undeniably one of the most diverse and attractive destinations in the Philippines.  Third, Mich, Joan, Erwin, and I had a great opportunity to explore, discover and appreciate its culture, history, and stunning tourist spots.

Some of the places we visited are Hinagdanan Cave, Dauis Church, Bohol Bee Farm, Alona Kew Whitebeach, Chocolate Hills, Buttefly House, Man-made Forest, Loboc River, Tarsier House, Baclayon Church, and Blood Compact.

In a nutshell, it was an awesome experience to witness God’s wonderful creations.  Praise God for a safe travel with good weather *beam*!


Day 1

Day 2

Day 3-4

^_^

A Message from JC

Troubles are opportunities that would test your faith,

When your faith is tested, your endurance will grow,

For when your endurance has been developed, you're geared with confidence.

-Jesus Christ

300th Date with Erwin

an unexpected meeting with him :)

 A very supportive man who always extends his help in every way he can.  

A thoughtful person that assures everything is okay with me.

A guard that secures me, whenever he has to.

And mostly, he never fails to let me feel so loved.

Indeed, overwhelming reasons to love him and feel blessed of having him.
And I'm very much excited to discover more reasons as days go by.

^_^

How Depth His Thinking Is

No one can measure the depths of His understanding - Isaiah 40:28

So here I am, sitting in a shopping mall food court.  My body is tense and my stomach knotted.  My to-do list is long and my progress this particular day is disappointing.  Unexpected complications have brought delays and I'm fretting over the deadlines ahead:  a radio show to plan, an article to write, the myriad details of a national project I'm coordinating.

I unwrap my burger, take a bite, and for a few minutes, I am forced to pause.  Busy people rush around me, fretting over their own deadlines.  And I am struck by humanity's infinitude.  We are limited beings--limited in time, energy, ability, and capacity.

And while everything in me wants to write a new to do list--prioritize it in order of importance, asterisk the urgent tasks, and underline those to be done together--another thought enters my mind:

       

       A thought of One who is infinite (Isaiah 40:25)

       A Being who is unlimited

       A Person who effortlessly melds the desire to do and the ability to  accomplish.

Stress, rush, and strain are never good for one's health, but on this day they deliver a powerful lesson.  The unlimited God is not like me.  He accomplishes everything He wishes.  I finish my burger, pause once more.  And silently worship.

 - Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Journey

Anawangin, Zambales

Had joined the 1st anniv of ADDICT (Adventurers Developed and Inspired by a Common Thought) Mountaineers of Natasha

*1st climb ever and a great experience for a beginner like me
*trekking+island hopping+swimming+bonding
*a worthy effort indeed to witness the beauty of nature (His AMAZING creation) :)

lessons learned:

1. take a day leave to rest (wasn't able to do so, kaya super haggard me the whole week sa    work)
2. bring a big back-pack (hands free during trek)
3. bring sunblock lotion (super init talaga)
4. streching is a must before the climb (one of the reasons why i had a super body ache after)
5. prepare an ibuprofen med (to ease the body ache)
6. water.water.water (bring extra to avoid dehydration)
7. enjoy and SAVOR every moment!

   

^_^

In His Perfect Time

I have lots of time lines.
for my goals,
for my projects,
for my tasks,
for my promises,
for my responsibilities.

Most of the time I'm day dreaming.
Yes! It may sound absurd, but I love dreaming.
I love dreaming for my family.
I love dreaming for people around me.
I love dreaming for what my future would be.

But there are times when I woke up,
and felt that I'm only dreaming,
A question would popped out in my mind,
When will these dreams happen?

Same question that would definitely relate with my time lines.
Am I heading towards the right way of my road.
Or I'm having too much turns in my supposed path,
That may separate me of where He wants to take me.

Failures are certainly inevitable.
Circumstances are unpredictable.
Being overwhelmed is really inseparable.
But I know there is someone who is indescribable that can do all things possible :)

My time lines maybe ideal,
It may not be as easy as I thought before,
But I believe I can possibly make it,
because of His help, His strength, His guidance all the way of my journey.

And these may only happen in His perfect, planned time.


*I'm very much willing to wait until the time that I'm in the end of my road and be with His road:)

Christmas 2009

Paskong Pinoy sa Bahay ni Ate ^__^

Theorem Christmas Celebration '09

With the theme of Paskong Pinoy sa Bahay ni Kuya, Theorem celebrated its BIG DAY with Abot Kamay Inc. as final task of Kuya!

It’s been a fun-fun experience to be with their kids. And yes, the spirit of Christmas enveloped the whole event.

Praise God for its success!:)

Forgiving

just sharing this worthy-to-be-read article :)

How Do I Forgive Him? How Do I Forgive Her?

by Jim Butcher

We all understand the general concept of forgiveness, but most of us are not especially proficient on the specifics on how to do it. So, this morning, we’re going to answer the questions: How do I forgive him? How do I forgive her? (As I said that you thought of who that ‘him’ or ‘her’ is in your life).

As we begin our study this morning, let me acknowledge my debt to the various writings of Lewis Smedes for many of the concepts that undergird this sermon.

How Do I Forgive Him? How Do I Forgive Her?

1. Acknowledge that you have been seriously hurt.

- The starting point for being pursuing forgiveness is to admit that you’ve really been hurt. We like to pretend like what he said didn’t really bother us or what she did didn’t even phase us, but until we are willing to admit that we were hurt by them, we’re not in a place where we can begin to pursue forgiveness.

- There are many incidents in life that are not candidates for forgiveness - things like minor disappointments or passing slights. Situations that require forgiveness are ones where the pain inflicted is personal, unfair, and deep. Things like betrayal and brutality (physical or emotional) come to mind.

- At this point, as we hurt, we are likely to find some hatred in our heart. Hatred, of course, is never a good thing, but we must be careful that we don’t try to get rid of it by covering it up. When we find that hate in our heart, that’s simply a sign we’re going to need to forgive.

2. Surrender your right to get even.

- The mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, "There, there. She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that hurts." He nodded his acknowledgement, and she left the room.

As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, "What happened?"

The little boy replied, "She knows now."

[source: www.preachingtoday.com]

- Few would dispute our right to get even. The rule of the world is ‘do unto others as they’ve done unto you.’

- When we choose to forgive, though, we choose to lay aside our right to extract our revenge. In the moment of making that decision, we are doing a couple of things: 1. We are leaving ultimate justice and vengeance to God, and 2. We are deliberately choosing for ourselves the path of forgiveness.

This is the first step down a different path.

Acknowledging that we have been hurt gets in the right place to begin, but surrendering our right to get even is the first step down the path.

- Some would argue that choosing such a path is inevitably going to make us a patsy - we’re yielding all our power and are going to end up as a doormat. I believe, though, that there is a power that is unleashed in this decision that cannot come from any other source. What does this power look like? Consider the following story:

- Albert Tomei is a justice of the New York State Supreme Court. A young defendant was convicted in Judge Tomei’s court of gunning down another person execution style. The murderer had a bad record, was no stranger to the system, and only stared in anger as the jury returned its guilty verdict.

The victim’s family had attended every day of the two-week trial. On the day of sentencing, the victim’s mother and grandmother addressed the court. When they spoke, neither addressed the jury. Both spoke directly to the murderer. They both forgave him.

"You broke the Golden Rule——loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You broke the law——loving your neighbor as yourself. I am your neighbor," the older of the two women told him, "so you have my address. If you want to write, I’ll write you back. I sat in this trial for two weeks, and for the last sixteen months I tried to hate you. But you know what? I could not hate you. I feel sorry for you because you made a wrong choice."

Judge Tomei writes: "For the first time since the trial began, the defendant’s eyes lost their laser force and appeared to surrender to a life force that only a mother can generate: nurturing, unconditional love. After the grandmother finished, I looked at the defendant. His head was hanging low. There was no more swagger, no more stare. The destructive and evil forces within him collapsed helplessly before this remarkable display of humaneness."

[source: www.preachingtoday.com]

In choosing the path of forgiveness, that grandmother unleashed a power that could not be tapped in any other way. And that power was what caused the defendant to hang his head for the first time.

3. Search for the real person beneath the evil mask.

- When we have been wronged, we like to caricature our wrongdoer. We emphasize all the bad things about them, we twist anything that looks remotely good, we are quick to impugn their every motive, we see them only and always in one way.

- The process of forgiveness requires that we begin to look for the real person behind the caricature we’ve created in our minds. We begin to see that they have not only hurt, they have been hurt. We begin to see that they are weak, needy, and fallible. We begin to find reasons for our hearts to turn toward mercy instead of malice.

- This doesn’t mean we grant them victim status and excuse all their wrong - we’re forgiving, not excusing. It does mean that we begin to try to treat them as another participant in this messy thing called life.

- What is our motivation for doing this? As our passage points out, we are doing for them what God did for us. God could have simply seen our sin and said, “I’ve seen enough, that’s all I need to know about them.” But God looked beyond our sin and saw something worth loving. And that’s what we’ve been called to do as well.

4. Desire that good things would happen to your wrongdoer.

- I know that sounds impossible when you first hear it, but stay with me for a minute.

- In the process of forgiveness, we move from dreaming of bad things befalling them toward hoping for good things in their life.

- At this point, it might be helpful to address a related question: does forgiving mean there’s no

punishment?

The answer to that is, No, forgiving does not necessarily mean there should not be punishment.

If they are unrepentant, punishment that leads to sorrow may be the loving thing to want for them because it will bring them toward where they need to be. The key in this is your motive. Whereas before you prayed for them to be punished because of your anger and hatred toward them, when you’re pursuing forgiveness you might pray for them to be punished because you want to see their heart changed and that is the most likely route for that to happen. Your motive has changed from wanting something bad to happen to praying for something good to happen.

- What are some examples of this?

a. A thief breaks into my house and steals most of my stuff. He is caught and put on trial, but is completely lacking remorse. If I go to the court and plead for his release, he will immediately return to stealing. In that situation, the good things I want for his life are a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. Because this is most likely to happen with punishment, forgiveness does not keep me from supporting punishment, although I might well want to write or visit him while he’s in there to try to share the love of God with him.

b. My spouse says some things in an argument that hurt me. Forgiving her and wanting good things for her life doesn’t mean I pray, “God, I hope you’ll bless her by giving her the ability to win all the arguments we have from now on.” Rather, wanting good things might mean praying that God would open her heart (and mine) to where each of us could be a better spouse.

- When Chris Carrier was ten, he was abducted, stabbed, shot through the head, and left for dead. Surprisingly, he survived, but the emotional and physical scars were very difficult to heal. Eventually, though, his commitment to Christ helped him to move on with his life. The perpetrator was never found.

Over twenty years later, on September 3, 1996, Chris received a phone call from a detective in the Coral Gables, FL police department. The detective said that an elderly man in a local nursing home had confessed to being his abductor. The man’s name was David McCallister.

Chris visited David the following day. Here are his words: “It was an awkward moment, walking into his room, but as soon as I saw him I was overwhelmed with compassion. The man I found was not an intimidating kidnapper, but a frail seventy-seven-year-old who had been blind for the last half-dozen years. David’s body was ruined by alcoholism and smoking - he weighed little more than sixty pounds. He had no family, or if he did, they wanted nothing to do with him, and no friends. A friend who had accompanied me wisely asked him a few simple questions that led to him admitting that he had abducted me. He then asked, ‘Did you ever wish you could tell that young boy that you were sorry for what you did?’ David answered emphatically, ‘I wish I could.’ That was when I introduced myself to him.

Unable to see, David clasped my hand and told me he was sorry for what he had done to me. As he did, I looked down at him, and it came over me like a wave: Why should anyone have to face death without family, friends, the joy of life - without hope? I couldn’t do anything but offer him my forgiveness and friendship.”

In the days that followed, Chris was able to share the love of Christ with David.

[Source: J. Arnold, ‘Why Forgive?’]

- What is our motivation for doing such a difficult thing? Again, as our text points out, we are doing for them what God did for us.

5. If possible, enjoy the healed relationship.

- Sometimes the other person can’t join you in moving toward reconciliation (for example, in forgiving a parent now passed on) and sometimes the other person won’t join you (for example, someone who won’t acknowledge that they’ve hurt you).

- For reconciliation to happen, they must understand the pain that they’ve caused you and must be sorrowful over it.

- But when they are, make sure you enjoy the healing and the renewed relationship that can only come through forgiveness.

a convenient truth

A relationship with Him causes us to be concerned with our thoughts, decisions, attitudes, and actions--all to make our life joy-filled for us and pleasing to God.

-Anne Cetas

new phase to undertake

completely decided to take my LET this coming April 2010.

*a part of God's mission for me: To be the best educator that He wants me to be ^_^

Strength, guidance and wisdom from you Lord is all I need. And may the result will glorify You :)

Love ≠ Investment

love is not an investment...

It's a gift, you are not expecting something in return

The Urgent/Important Matrix

An article that I really am guilty with. Learned a lot from this:) Thanks Mind Tools:)

The Urgent/Important Matrix
Using Time Effectively, Not Just Efficiently
by Mind Tools

	It's urgent, but is it really important?
	©iStockphoto

We've all been there: The project is due for today's meeting and we are only three quarters done. Our anxiety is at its peak, we can't concentrate, everything is a distraction, and then, finally, we blow!

Time stressors are some of the most pervasive sources of pressure and stress in the workplace, and they happen as a result of having too much to do in too little time.

With this kind of pressure all too common, effective time management is an absolute necessity. You probably use a day-planner and to-do list to manage your time. These tools are certainly helpful, but they don't allow you to drill down to one of the most essential elements of good time management: distinguishing between what is important and what is urgent.

Great time management means being effective as well as efficient. Managing time effectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending your time on things that are important and not just urgent. To do this, and to minimize the stress of having too many tight deadlines, you need to distinguish clearly between what is urgent and what is important:

• Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your goals.
  
  
• Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are usually associated with the achievement of someone else's goals, or with an uncomfortable problem or situation that needs to be resolved.

Urgent activities are often the ones we concentrate on. These are the "squeaky wheels that get the grease." They demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.

The Urgent/Important Matrix is a useful tool for thinking about this.

The idea of measuring and combining these two competing elements in a matrix has been attributed to both former US President Eisenhower and Dr Stephen Covey. Eisenhower's quote, "What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important," sums up the concept of the matrix perfectly. This so-called "Eisenhower Principle" is said to be how Eisenhower organized his tasks. As a result, the matrix is sometimes called the Eisenhower Matrix. Covey brought the idea into the mainstream and gave it the name "The Urgent/Important Matrix" in his 1994 business classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

How to Use the Tool:

The Urgent/Important Matrix is a powerful way of thinking about priorities. Using it helps you overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent activities, so that you can keep enough time clear to focus on what's really important. This is the way you move from "firefighting", into a position where you can grow your business and your career.

The matrix is drawn as shown in figure 1, with dimensions of Importance and Urgency.



The steps below help you use the matrix to prioritize your activities:

1. Firstly, list all of the activities and projects you feel you have to do. Try to include everything that takes up your time at work, however unimportant. (If you manage your time using an Action Program, you'll already have done this.)


2. Next, assign importance to each of the activities – you can do this on, say, a scale of 1 to 5: Remember, this is a measure of how important the activity is in helping you meet your goals and objectives. Try not to worry about urgency at this stage, as this helps get to the true importance.


3. Once you have assigned importance to each activity, evaluate the urgency of each activity. As you do this, you can plot the listed items on the matrix according to the assigned importance and urgency.
   
   
4. Now study the matrix using the guidelines below, and schedule your work according to your priorities.

Figure 2: Strategies for Different Quadrants of the Matrix Urgent and Important ("Critical Activities"): There are two distinct types of urgent and important activities: Ones that you could not foresee, and others that you have left to the last minute. You can avoid the latter by planning ahead and avoiding procrastination. Issues and crises, on the other hand, cannot always be foreseen or avoided. Here, the best approach is to leave some time in your schedule to handle these. Also, if a major crisis arises, some other activity may have to be rescheduled. If this happens, identify which of you urgent-important activities could have been foreseen and think about how you could schedule similar activities ahead of time, so they do not become urgent. Urgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"): Urgent but not important activities can be a constant source of interruption. They stop you achieving your goals and completing your work. Ask yourself whether these tasks can be rescheduled, or whether someone else could do them. A common source of such interruptions is from other people coming into your office. Sometimes it's appropriate to say "No" to people, or encourage them to solve the problem themselves. Alternatively, try allocating time when you are available, so that people only interrupt you at certain times (a good way of doing this is to schedule a regular meeting so that all issues can be dealt with at the same time). By doing this, the flow of work on your important activities will be less disrupted. Not Urgent, but Important ("Important Goals"): These are the activities that you can plan ahead for to achieve your goals and complete your work. Make sure that you have plenty of time to achieve these, so that they do not become urgent. And remember to leave enough time in your schedule to deal with unforeseen problems. This will maximize your chances of keeping on schedule, and help you avoid the stress of work becoming more urgent that necessary. Not Urgent and Not Important ("Distractions"): These activities are just a distraction, and should be avoided if possible. Some can simply be ignored. Others are activities that other people want you to do, but they do not contribute to your own desired outcomes. Again, say "No" politely and firmly where this is appropriate. If people see you are clear about your objectives and boundaries, they will often not ask you to do "not important" activities in future.

Key Points

The Urgent/Important Matrix helps you look at your task list, and quickly identify the activities you should focus on. By prioritizing using the Matrix, you can deal with truly urgent issues, at the same time that you keep on working towards your goals.

moving on...

dalawang salita na binubuo ng maraming kahulugan...

Anong moving-on ang tinutukoy ko dito?
a. moving on after break-up,
b. moving on after failing,
c. moving on from routinary task,
d. moving on after something you have planned has not happened...
e. none of the above

(hulaan mo kung anong tamang sagot??:)


yep! letter d. na moving on ang aking tinutukoy...galing ah! (hehe, kung anong pinakamahaba, yun kadalasan ang tamang kasagutan--pero mali yun, bias daw ang tawag don)

hehe going back,
maraming nangyari nitong nagdaang mga araw (linggo, buwan, taon, century:)),
hindi ko na nga lang namamalayan na ang bawat nagdaan ay may malaking impact sa aking susunod na patutunguhan.
ayun, tuloy, pakiramdam ko bigla akong nauntog! nauntog nang pagkalakas-lakas! na tila nag-iwan ng bukol at bigla kong naramdaman kung gaano pala iyon kasakit matapos ang ilang araw na dumaan...

ganoon pala iyon...

pero malipas ang ilang araw, naging okay na ang lahat.
hindi ko na muli napansin yung sakit ng pagkakauntog ko.
ang aking muling pagmulat ay puno ng ngiti at liwanag muli (yup, blade meron ka?!).
salamat na lamang sa mga taong nariyan sa akin upang magpaalala ng mga bagay-bagay,
na hindi mahalaga kung ano man yuon--kundi kung anong gagawin mo sa susunod na pagkakataon...

i'll be taking my exam next year:) i want to regain my friendship with one of my closest friends:) and continue accepting some realities:)

yes, ill be moving on together with HIM:)
whom ill be entrusting everything,
and looking forward for the day of harvesting what He has promised:)

Matapos ito isulat, si leowniey ay __________.
a. humahalakhak
b. tumatawa
c. nakangisi
d. nakangiti
e. wala sa nabanggit