Backstabbers

Almost every office has this kind of people and I've encountered a lot of them. In an article I read, backstabbers are referred to as "two-headed snakes". They kiss up the ladder and attack down below. They act as though you are okay and everything's cool but behind your back, they gossip and badmouth co-workers. It is best to keep this people away from you as possible since back stabbers use emotional proximity as a means to hurt others. They get their target to share personal secrets or professional opinions that could undermine that person's position.

From experience, backstabbers do what they do because they are threatened. They see their targets as "threats" to their career aspirations and power base. As you do your job well, expect these people around you to start gossiping and find holes to dig deeper into in order to undermine your work and your personality. But don't let 'em.

And so when the "long knives come out into the workplace, the attacker must be confronted". Confront the "snake" and do it publicly. Be brave. These kind of people act the way they do because they are actually weak and insecure, so let them have it by exposing their deeds into the light and let the public see them for who they really are. More importantly, in doing so, you let them know who you are - someone they can't tear apart or put down. Trust me. I learned all this from experience.

A piece of advice to backstabbers out there, some of whom might even be reading my blog because they are still so insecure (hehehe) --- Don't ever hold the delusion that one's advancement can be achieved by crushing others.

In the end those who truly make it are the one's who really has something to offer, something more than the lies and rumors you spread about the others.

oh life...

enough with weird feelings, it's a new day so things will get better. That I know. =)

Anyways, I went to a dvd shop to look for the complete season of One Tree Hill, Everybody Loves Raymond and Pokemon. The latter for my nephew. But the store I went to practically has nothing to offer me. The sales ladies were like a broken record saying wala po eh, wala po - in almost any query I did. I almost said "Close your shop, will you?!".

Haay. Frustrating.

a curb ball

Yup... I am at this specific moment where I feel like "Life just threw me a curb ball..." You know, those moments in your life when you truly didn't expect things to be and they did happen and you just can't squeeze your brains enough to understand why????

I almost thought I am threw being hit by these "curb balls"... That things may not always feel like 7th heaven, but I thought I was old enough and mature enough to handle anything that comes my way.

But this one, this current moment now... I feel lost...

New hobby atbp.

Im not so sleepy yet although I have always been one of the so-called "nocturnal people" - meaning people who are all hyped up and more productive during the wee hours of the night... It's 3:23am, Sunday as I type this... just had a shower and have eaten longanisa, egg and rice, with matching tomatoes on the side. Talk about "early breakfast"! hehehe...

Anyways, As they always say, writing is a form of therapy. I am kinda feeling a bit low so here I am, writing, or better yet "blogging" at this hour...

When I first started this blog, I chose to conceal my identity as I fear exposing myself to the world wide web. I intended this to be about my views and my thoughts regarding RH advocacy vis-a-vis religion.

But as the idea of blogging slowly rubs into me, I said what the heck! How could I share my thoughts more personally if the readers don't know me, so I began redesigning the blog, changed templates and tweak it some more... so here I am all bared out to my readers, from time to time (hehehe). However, I still try to be conscious of what I write here so that explains the picture. It's supposed to give me something to write about other than the way I feel...

Ok, I took the picture just awhile ago before coming upstairs. The plant is called the "money tree". They say it's lucky as if suggesting that in due time, money will grow from the stems instead of new leaves... haha. Along with the other plants, I usually water them twice a day, as directed by the person we bought it from, as part of my daily routine. A new "hobby", if that qualifies for such.

They haven't dried up so I guess I'm doing a pretty neat job. =) It actually feels good to nurture it and see it grow. Just like relationships... and I mean relationships of any kind. You nurture it, take care of it and check it from time to time and it feels good to see it develop. But, if you think you did everything and cared for it to make it alive and yet it seem to suddenly wither, it makes you wonder what you did wrong... or was it just natural that some leaves fall and dry up as new ones start to bloom? Is this just a beginning of a new stem with more fresh leaves growing out of it? Was it all part of its growth? Or worse, was it doomed to dry up down to its roots...

Hmnnn... I don't know. This definitely qualifies as one of my psychobabbles...

Though I am still not sleepy .... and just getting more restless....

Snapshots from Jakarta...

blogging at last...

hey there... haven't posted awhile as I have been really busy plus the "technical difficulties" beyond my control that I got disconnected from the cyberworld, specifically in the "blogosphere"...

Ok, first I'd like to greet my media pals from Cotabato City, Mr. Edwin Fernandez (PDI-Mindanao Bureau and Station Manager for dxOL and dxMS and Mr Roy Calvo of dyES-Radyo ng Bayan Borongan, Eastern Samar a belated Happy Birthday! May 16 for Edwin and May 13 for Roy...

The greeting in the PhilMADE blog is a bit more graphic with their pictures and all... hehehe... but this one's being made on a more personal tone... =)

Last month, Allan Freno of Sultan Kudarat and Bruce Zabala of Bohol also celebrated their birthdays... Hmnn, who's next? June 8??? Well, that's Sulu's Ed General's birthday. Ok, will save the greeeting for him then...

What are the latest??? Elections in the philippines... Well I made a blog about this in the PhilMADE blog. Just check it out there, ok.

Oh yeah... next post will feature photos from Indonesia... =)

The Language Barrier

As most travellers know, the various language in different parts of the world pose a major consideration. Communication is key in everything, from ordering your food, to asking directions and conveying whatever it is you have to say. And here in Indonesia, that could really be a problem since most of them speak only their native language - Bahasa Indonesia. The staff in the UNFPA Office though speak English. But in restaurants, hotels, boutiques, malls, the taxi driver? They only speak bahasa. And it can be difficult at times.

That is why I feel the Philippines has so much advantage for development having English as the medium of instruction in schools, offices and other businesses. If only they realize their potentials for moving things forward and making things happen.

In doing advocacy work, you move for changes - policy and behavioral changes in people, communities and society in general. Thus, the message is carefully thought of in order to convey it properly and struck a chord to whoever is your target audience. This means it has to be delivered using a medium they can relate to and in a language they will understand. Otherwise, they will hear you but they will not listen.

Hmnnn... tough.

Sick but feeling good...

I've been having coughs even prior to arriving here... I got a sore throat perhaps from all the change in weather travelling here from Manila. It was truly hot in Manila, the wind as I earlier posted, seems to have a fever.

It's likewise warm here in Indonesia, but the airconditioning from the travel (airport to the plane) from one place to another did make my throat dry somehow that I kept coughing during the first night here.

Anyways, this morning I felt it was worse. I guess the anxiety of doing a demonstration to the UNFPA Staff here somehow added to that. However, the angels and the saints and dear God has been good to me, and perhaps have heard my prayer, the "demo" went well. The Staff were pretty receptive to the idea and truly got interested. They believe that setting up an official blog here would be helpful to them. The best part is, Dr H, to whom I owe this chance of being here seemed pleased. =)

Moreover, he has set up his own blog already! nice huh? That to me is enough indication of "success" in my visit here.

So, I am sick.. coughing as I type this but I am feeling really good... =)

My Mission to Indonesia

Quite a catchy title for a post huh?

Well, i actually got that from Dr. H's email to UNFPA Manila Office. He wrote them about my trip and informed them that he is inviting me to work with them on a web based Population-Poverty Network. And he sought the Manila Office to prepare my ticket, etc.

So there, though going here, my mind is still hazy on the things expected from me but after my talk with Dr. H, my mind did settle down and now getting focused as to what to do...

I have to make a brief presentation for the UNFPA Staff here in Indonesia so that they will know as to why I am here, and how relevant is my work here to what they are doing and trying to achieve.

Angels and Saints and dear Lord, help me and guide me to make a clear demo...

The travel to Jakarta, Indonesia

Hmnnn....

Anyways, I am here in Jakarta, Indonesia. Left Manila last May 1, 2007 aboard Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, whose airport is by the way so huge I had to take two (2) transits to get to the gate of my connecting flight to Jakarta, and then stayed there for at least three (3) more hours before getting on the plane for Jakarta. The travel took all day. By the time I was in Jakarta, it was late in the evening already. Got out of the airport with my luggage around 9pm, Indonesian time. One hour delayed to our time there in Manila.

At the hotel, I learned that they don't accept travellers cheques which I have with me, good thing I have $100 USD which I used to pay for the deposit in the hotel. They actually even preferred having USD printed in the year 2000 up, since mine was marked 1999, but I told them I don't have anymore cash with me, that's all I got so they did sort of bend and accepted the same.

Exchange rate was kinda low - $1 USD = Rp 8456 (Ruhpiah) in the hotel compared to money changers. It is usually around Rp 9000. In Indonesia, having millions is not that a big deal as their money begin with thousands. Roughly, Rp 1,000,000 Ruhpees are equivalent to $111 USD, which is equivalent to P5,500 Pesos in Manila... quite an interesting fact huh?

But anyway, that's just about the travel. It was tiring and I was feeling anxious and nervous at the same time as to what will happen next when I meet Dr. H...

Updates on my SIKAP involvement....

Ok, as I said, there were a lot of things I wanted to blog about. But due to the time that lapsed, it seemed late to kinda blog about it. I would have blogged about a meeting which SIKAP ( a partylist I belong to as Advocacy and Alliance Building Commissioner) had with one of the accredited partylist running for this year's elections - BIYAHENG PINOY. In a nutshell, our group voted to dismiss the idea of a tie-up with them to avoid future controversies as this group is identified to be among the partylists fielded by the Arroyo Administration. SIKAP will move in the direction of establishing its own identity and pursue projects aligned with its Vision/Mission/Goal (VMG).

SIKAP will also be busy coming up with a primer for the Magna Carta of Student Rights. And I will personally be developing a paper/proposal for a scholarship grant for student artists in Baguio belonging to Tropang Paltok. A project I do believe in consonance with SIKAP's VMG and at the same time a strategy for alliance building and advocacy to further boost SIKAP. So there, these were stuff we are talking about and sharing. (wink wink)

explain... explain...

I have been busy I wasn't able to blog. Also, my "jurassic" pc back home was not functioning properly in terms of blog capabilities that it did held me back for quite sometime. Ihave a lot of things to blog about and I did feel frustrated that I wasn't able to write about them here...

Hope the new desktop arrives when I come back home...