EXERCISING HONESTY IS EMPOWERING

It takes fortitude of character and maturity to return something valuable that is not yours. After the honest deed is done, it feels so liberating…to a certain extent one feels empowered. This is because one overcame greed.
Honesty nourishes the soul. And having a soul is what differentiates humans from the other animals. If man ignores the conviction of his conscience, succumbs to self-preserving instincts, then he is just like the lower animals.
Between stimulus and response is a choice. When man chooses to keep his integrity intact by remaining honest, he benefits from inner peace. This is much valuable that satisfying baser instincts.
So the saying, “to thine own self be true,” is a nugget of wisdom really worth applying in life!

Stop and Smell the Flowers

The New Year brings a promise of new hope, fresh beginnings and recovery from things we messed up with in the last year. It feels good to start with a clean slate and break away from old habits that pull you down.
Three days into the year…so far so good. I got to read the Bible; then jog or lift weights in the morning. I’m reading a management book to feed my mind. I’m having my sofa re-upholstered to give my living room a new look. I’ve been cleaning the house for 2 weeks & have come to the conclusion that I might as well transfer to a new house than to have the current one renovated. No big deal, right?

Overall, I am very much content with my life now. I have no backlog nor any missed opportunity. I can take time to stop and smell the flowers.

More than New Year resolutions...Lifetime Resolutions

Here is my response to Grace Ilagan’s invitation in her blog to document my New Year resolutions. However, I call mine lifetime resolutions because these will be it for this lifetime:

1. I will glorify GOD in all I do;
2. I will consult GOD before I make any decision;
3. I will trust GOD in all my circumstances.

Only by the grace of God will I be able to do these. My life is meaningful if I live it only for Him. My success depends on how aligned I am to God's plan in my life.
I am accountable to reach out to 5 souls for Jesus this year. This is my faith goal. I will immerse myself in His Word daily.

I COUNT MY BLESSINGS

I am grateful for…

…my husband who prepares home-made pizza at whim.
…my son who makes me proud when he cleans the car and lovingly babysits.
…my daughter who helps me enjoy doing nothing with a whole day of play.
…my manager who coaches me on how to succeed in my career.
…my friends who brighten my day with their company.
...my mother for unsolicited advice that always turns out to be solicited.

I am grateful for...

…the time I get to spend with my family.
…the job that keeps my creative juices flowing.
…the debt-free home that has become my haven of rest.
…the 15 pounds that I lost during the holidays (that shall never return).

WASH SEPARATELY!!

I don't consider the idea of changing into a new set of wardrobe was originally my own. After all, I enjoyed my clothes as they were - soft, good fit, and in varied, toned-down colors. Then came December 26, when I excitedly washed a new set of pink blanket & pillows into my trusty Samsung washing machine. Thinking of optimizing the energy consumption and water, i decided to toss in some of my colored clothes for a spin. Lo and behold, after a few minutes of spinning, all turned into varying shades of pink! Imagine me looking like a Barbie doll enthusiast nowadays!
So the nugget of wisdom for that day was to wash separately. That is, if do not want to go monochromatic like I just did!

Special Gifts I Received This Christmas

I'm blessed to receive very special gifts this Christmas.
The team 2 manufacturing supervisors drew lots for our Kris Kringle. I was thrilled to get my Christmas wish which I wrote on our white board. But it was much more than a gift...it was a masterpiece! Creatively encapsulated inside an Absolute mineral water bottle and nesled amidst shreds of comic strips was Stephen Covey's bestseller, "The 8th Habit" from my wacky friend, Christian Nacionales.

My manager Gilbert Miral gave me another bestseller - The Secret. I read it in just 2 days! I've been saving to buy the book in January '09 but he already beat me into buying it.

I love these books because they help me introspect. They are tools for inner growth.
Thanks a lot to Sir Gilbert and CN for this gifts of knowledge! I will treasure them for a lifetme. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Intel Philippines Front-of-Line Assembly Engineering Christmas Party

Christmas is a special time when we can we can gather with friends and share fun & laughter, food and drinks, even tears of joy. One such warm get-together was the FOL Assembly party. It was a well-attended and memorable event.

The party people wore black shirts with a common design. According to JP Santos, the shirt has all the Intel buzzwords of the last quarter printed in different fonts & sizes, which from afar looked like circuits. That's C-R-E-A-T-I-V-E!

The party started with a bang as the Children of Hope Community caroled their way into the hearts of the attendees. They sang fast tunes and Christmas songs which brought the house down!

This generous group gave more than P2000 as a token of their appreciation! So the kids thanked them in return with the traditional "pagmamano" gesture because all the FOL folks became their instant godparents that day.

There were 2 kids who were special particularly because their looks resemble that of our office mates Rey Adriano & Donald Locana :-)

Among the games played in the party was The Battle of the Jologs. The group was divided into into 2 groups. Each group was asked to line up in ascending order according to waistline. This created a wacky commotion among the group because they were suddenly forced to disclose their vital stat!!

Other highlights include the tribute to our separating employees, and the presentations per section (ala "That's Entertainment" ni Kuya Germs ang arrive").

Special thanks to the committee who came up with the Assembly Video tribute tokens and for making this gig possible: Cris Sumague, JP Santos, Daisy Sapul, Ronald Ebora, Dea Fucoy, Jason P. Cruz, Rina Guzman, Allen Mari De Leon, Ed Gacho &
Rhodora "Dhoy" Amaya. It was a Box Office Hit!!