Silent Rebel

Smells like teen spirit ... again.

 

I'm back at it again. Devoting my Sundays to our basketball league at the office - this means waking up early as if it was a weekday.

Actually, i really don't mind waking up and going out of the house to play hoops. It brings back memories from high school ( I was part of the varsity team from sophomore to senior. ) Looking back i really worked hard to be a good player, the efforts i had to make - wake up early, take the jeep to school, the drills - it really helped.

Downside to it, i didn't had the proper knowledge back then about the game. I thought to be a good player, you should be the top scorer for your team and always be part of the first five. A riddle that i was able to answer long after my varsity career ended. 

The good thing about it, I was given a second chance. 

I was again re-introduce to hoops at my first work (after not playing competitive in college.) There was a weekly basketball schedule open to all employees and ex-employees just to keep one in condition and for some - to sweat and break the weekly office routine. This paved the way for the company sportsfest and then later on the inter BPO basketball open (I was even chosen to wear the company colors in its inagural edition.)

This was the start of my renaissance in basketball. 

I am proud to say that wherever i go, I can still go up head to head with younger and talented players.

At this point,  the challenge that i am staring at now is how to help manage my current team. As i see it the team is very diverse on the game's orientation and fundamentals. This is where somebody needs to come in, I know that i have been only playing with the team for a very short time but I hope I can make them aware on how to play the game and enjoy. As we all know, for most of us its way past our glory days.

 

Alive and kicking ... still

I will not yield.

Nor will I break or falter.

Instead, I will absorb whatever has been thrown at me and will make this my strength. 

And so I said farewell to collections and greeted customer relations with open arms, with the transition, I realize that my voyage still goes on. Two months with my current unit, I still see myself struggling with the workload and adjusting with my new colleagues.

I like where I am now, I just need to prove to my colleagues, to management and to myself that I deserve and I belong.

Not quite a storybook ending ( in my opinion. )

At the end the NBA finals was decided in the fourth quarter of game 7. The Celtics lead almost half of the game only to self-destruct in the payoff quarter. I guess Kobe and the rest of the Lakers were ready for the Celtics this time. What a fitting way to defend the title - against your most fabled rival. As I pointed out previously, this will go down in history as one of the most anticipated rematch of two of the most successful and famous ball clubs in the NBA.

In a way, this championship is special to Kobe, because he was able to prove to everybody that he is for real and he deserves to be in the same club with all the other NBA legends.

I was really hoping for a Celtics win in the finals, just like the year they won the finals when the great Bill Russell was player/coach. That year it was also a Laker-Celtic showdown with the Lakers having the best record in the west, while the Celtics were ranked no. 4. It was the same scenario as this year, only thing different was the outcome - the Celtics won the series.

For now we'll just have to wait for this year's NBA rookie draft - if there will be an impact rookie that will standout. Let's also wait and see if there would be any significant trades or transfers in the off season.

Why 24 comes next to 23.

We're just 2 games away ( 3 if the series will extend to a game 7 ) before the world champion is announced. Whatever the outcome of the series the 2010 finals will go down in history as one of the most colorful and hyped up.

This series has also brought out breakout performances from Rajon Rondo ( he made the postseason his personal playground ) and Derek Fisher the only Laker unchecked by the Celtics. It's no longer about the big three or about the Lakers' dynamic duo ( Gasol & Bryant. )

That brings me to my main subject - Kobe Bryant. I just have this feeling ( up to now ) that he is still emulating Michael Jordan. To me he will never replicate Jordan's achievements and exploits - ever. This is one thing that he really needs to overcome.

Still on Kobe - I think I'm getting over the Zoom Kobe series ( shoes ) addiction. Everywhere I look I see somebody wearing the latest Kobe shoes - the Kobe V, and it's beginning to look like the Kobes are the most common the shoes not the most sought after shoes. Too much varieties caused it downfall.

Epilogue to the weekend.

Alas, it's Sunday - the end of the weekend - again. If there is any consolation to it, my weekend started early this week - Thursday. I had to take a 2 day off just to look after Joaqui while his nanny is on vacation.  Rhoda also had her tour of duty - she took Tuesday and Wednesday off.

It's always a pleasure spending time with the family.

Fatherhood or being a family man is indeed one responsibility I am proud of.

About Joaqui

He is a fast learner.

He is a character: Whenever he is with people that he is comfortable with ( e.g. Rhoda and me, his paternal grandparents )  he has a lot of phrases and antics that he showcase. We are always amazed and amused whenever he goes in that mode.

He is active: I have discovered that he has this beat, whenever he hears a familiar song or jingle he dances along with it. He also likes sports - basketball and football.

He also has his artistic side - he can identify and distinguish colors. He is also familiar with the basic shapes.

As parents we are proud of his achievements. We are looking forward to June as he is attending his first full school year. ( he had a dry run for a month back and Feb and I'm proud to say, the teacher gave him a good review. )

You just have to bear with me. As Joaqui along with my family will be a constant subject in my blog.

Go let it out.

I feel insulted every time I am being treated shabbily.  

What is more disappointing is if somebody you know is the one doing it to you.

Another eyesore is the colleague from work who is frequently tardy.

In addition, this person is also a good actor. This colleague of mine, acts as if he is really busy doing his work.

These are just a few examples of people who really make my day.

I am no saint.

But whenever I am in the company of these individuals I sometimes can't help emulate their bad habits.

I just have to fight it.

Fight and avoid being like them.

The only way that I would win is when I can proceed with my day unperturbed with these distractions.

This is a challenge that I am eager to take head on.

And this is a test that I will pass.

 

 

To the extreme!

By now it is safe to talk about what I just went through the workplace. The smoke has cleared, so to speak. Ever since the time I was eased out unceremoniously of the team lead position,and this started my dissatisfaction with my unit. According to my superiors the move was a new strategy they were implementing for a more efficient and productive unit.

How do they expect me to turn around the game drastically given these situations - lack of manpower, being micromanaged.

That was really the beginning of the end.

Just when things were beginning to normalize, just when I was beginning to accept my fate I was approached by one of my colleagues and she told me about the opening in their unit. Right that instant, I made my intentions clear - I am interested with the opening.

The only obstacle that stood in my way was the management from my current unit. I was worried that they would be reiterating their conditions about leaving the unit. If you want to leave, you have to find your own replacement before leaving the unit - a policy which is not valid whatever angle you look at it. Despite the deterrent, I was still given the go signal to pursue the opening.

After 3 interviews I was down to the last one and the person who was interviewing me asked me this question - Does your group head know about your intentions to transfer? I was caught off-guard with the question. My response, no. (They are aware of my intentions but to identify to what level, I don't have a clue.) The interviewer then suggested that I should inform my group head of my plans.

With the progress that I was seeing with my application to transfer, I decided to follow up the $1,000,000 question with my superiors - is our group head aware and ok with the transfer? At first I was given the runabout but eventually the group head learned about it.

It was all downhill from there. I was given the date of my release and the person-in-charge from my unit then requested the transfer forms that I need to submit to them and to human resource for documentation.

Finally, I can relax and work efficiently again. 

Commemorating the day of hearts.

 
This year's valentines is memorable to me. The reason why V day is memorable is because I just learned that I need to watch my diet. A drastic change in my diet is needed - to be more specific, I need to stay away from fatty and salty food and avoid drinking beer regularly.

There have been a couple of instances in the past were my blood pressure went up, luckily for me I was able to recover from it quickly.

At this point, I don't want to just sit around and wait for things to go back to normal. No way. I'll make sure that I will be more conscious with my diet so that in the long run I won't have worry about my bp shooting up again.

Now on with the brighter side of life.

I'm ecstatic about Joaqui.

Last week he attended a 3-day trial class at the play school at our condo. And I am proud to say that Joaqui was able to cope well with the activities and last the entire 2 hours of class. With that, Rhoda and I decided to enroll him for one month starting tomorrow until March 16, 2010 - end of the school year. So that by June this year he will not have the jitters anymore.

Time does fly fast, Joaqui is now a preschooler.

Where were you while we were getting high?

I was executing my game plan.

After a couple of months of silence, I'm here again. Now let me give you a status update on things:

September 09: We celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Spent time with the family, unlike last year were we went to Tagaytay we just opted to stay in Manila and bond with Rhoda and Joaqui. ( I'm thankful that for at least 3 days I didn't have to think about reality. )

Ondoy - This typhoon was really a bummer! I was stranded at the basketball court - soaking wet for almost a whole day! V.2 was also submerged in flood water. ( The beginning of the end? )

October 09: Got re-acquainted with a college hobby.

November 09: My first trip to Ilo-Ilo. I had a great time while in Ilo-Ilo, I got to meet the family and relatives of Rhoda for the first time. Went on an eating spree ( From the our first meal to the last it was really a treat and pleasure. )

December 09: The holidays! It was all downhill from here, didn't exert much effort with work. Had an excuse to be merry and not feel guilty about it. We celebrated the Christmas season as a family, the celebration was simple but was really intimate.

 

January 2010: Move over Larry ( Bird ) & Scottie ( Pippen ) I'm taking over your number! Although there is no public announcement yet ( more of an internal arrangement between me and my boss - I was appointed as the team lead of team centurion. )

 

My two cents worth:

- I am hoping for a more simple life, one that is more family-oriented. Family comes first career is second.

- I know if you put in sacrifice and hard work in anything, the reward would soon follow.

- I will continue to sanctify whatever tasks is given to me.

- I'll stop being a worry wart and stop overanalyzing.

 

My current game plan really worked wonders, I guess I'll just stick to it.

 

Define work.

I guess we all have our response to this phrase so I'll leave it at that. If we look at it, work is where we spend most of our time so the least we can do is maximize our time at work. We should not fall prey to the routine that is work. We should look at work differently. We should instead look at it at a different perspective - more on service, service to your colleagues, to your superiors and to your clients.

This is my definition of work.