The Chosen One

It's plain and simple. Many are called but only a few are chosen. In this case a question can easily arise asking if the "chosen" ones are fit for the pedestal or not. What makes a good leader and how do you become one?

You'll never be a good leader unless you’ve had one before. It's a matter of influence most of the time. That person becomes the teacher and you get to learn so much. Comparable to the reality of an eagle’s story, Leadership 101 is actually a push of potential more than a theoretical study. That being said, it follows that the manner on how eagles push their offspring toward the edge is the learning that counts in the process.

Most of the time leadership entails risks. If you keep on hiding on the safe spot then you’re not a leader but a mere follower; a puppy with no teeth for that matter. Leading is never a stable task; it never was intended to be. Once you become a leader, something will stir your mind up every once in a while and that is something beyond your control. When that time comes, the real leader thinks out of the box, gets a solution and puts the theory to action. If the action doesn’t work, it’s time to revisit the problem and do a re-work. Who said theories in Mathematics work only for figures? This is the exact time to apply trial and error; a key factor in the success of problem-solving in real life.

Sad to say, some “leaders” tend/opt to be followers in reality. Having the mentality that they’re up there make them afraid of getting kicked in the ass and fired up. It’s a safe move – of a follower, not a leader. If placed into context, it would be safe to say that many are guilty or simply playing blind. Another sick situation is when leaders become too complacent of their capabilities that they slowly become gods of their own kind – and want to be treated as such too. Power-tripping, as many would call it, is a very fatal problem that is swarming most of the so-called “leaders.” It’s an infection with no tested immunity and one that would most likely take millions of years to find a physical cure. In this case, dissatisfaction among the employees is just an inch away. What’s next is something that nobody would want to be in – quitting.

Acquiring the skills and values of a real leader is not as easy as how it is presented to be. Becoming a leader by position doesn’t make one earn respect in a snap of a finger. There’s so much more to learn other than those published in books or manuals. As usual, growing opportunities career-wise pop-up unexpectedly like one would wait for corn to pop when cooked. Perhaps one parameter of efficiency as a leader is the quality of a finished product, something that you can be so proud about and be able to say “this is my ROI (Return on Investment).”Another is when a leader is able to clone himself, ready to move up the ladder and hand the responsibilities to a successor. Nothing beats the feeling of being looked up to, being an inspiration and being appreciated for the kind of leadership rendered.

Leadership is a passion, not a position. And most importantly, it’s a role, not a name. Such role needs a very high dose of maturity to be able to face any obstacle that may come out of the blue. There is never a perfect leader as compared to what majority demand to have; an ideal leader, maybe. It’s known to everyone that even the most powerful person/entity in this universe do not get everyone’s faith and respect. How worse can it get for real leaders?

Who said that being a leader is easy? There is truth in saying that indeed many are called but a few are chosen.

Random Thoughts

Would you rather be the strongest among the weak or the weakest among the strong?

Everything Crappy is Under the SUN

Customer service - I guess it all starts with that and ends with that as well. With SUN's tempting deals, one would want to switch to this seemingly "stable and organized" network. However, what majority probably don't know is that SUN Cellular has the crappiest customer service among all the providers in the country.

It was on a Monday when I have completed and forwarded all the requirements they were asking from me. All went fine and I left the shop with a smile upon knowing that the turn-around-time would be 2-3 days for the processing alone. I was fine with that, though the same process I underwent with Smart two years ago didn't take as long. On Wednesday, I asked for an update regarding the application; lo and behold, nothing!!! Three days after, they called up, asking for "clearer" payslips. I presented to visit their site and take the initiative to have them secure a screenshot of my payslips (since they are online-based) but they just told me that they would be calling back. An hour passed but no call from them came in. I was upset and decided to head to the shop and check, only to know that they had a workaround for me not to secure a "clearer" copy of my payslips. Then I was told that the last thing they needed was the "approval" from the head office. That day was supposedly my last day of waiting like they have promised but they were definitely LYING. I thought the cliché that says "promises are said to be broken" never existed in the corporate world; the sad reality proved me wrong. Saturday came and I was really optimistic that everything was ironed out. I was ready to disregard the inconvenience I have encountered from them the past days but then again, I was wrong. The status was yet unknown/uncertain/nowhere to be seen or heard. My total pay wasn't sufficient, they said. Then I started to question why it "wasn't sufficient" when in fact it even exceeded their cut-off for the plan I was applying for. The representative was explaining something that I didn't understand but I refused to argue. I just left a message that if things won't get any better on Tuesday (the following week), they should consider my application cancelled. The irony is I didn't have any trouble, at all, the time I applied for my current plan with Smart. Considering the plan I have now is PhP 1200/month, why would I have too much trouble with a plan that's PhP 201/month cheaper?

This is my second attempt at re-considering Sun as a primary line since I was a very frustrated customer 4 long years ago. I wanted to give them a chance and see how much they've improved, if ever they did. But sadly, their tainted reputation just got worse, for me at least. I wouldn't recommend Sun postpaid, prepaid or any of their products especially when you're eyeing for a higher allocation/value. Also, expect that their "Network Busy" problem is still existent especially during peak hours.

By now you should be able to get my verdict on Sun Cellular's services. But just in case you want to make sure that you're thinking what I'm thinking, do refer to what you can see below.

Random Thoughts

Know that people looking down on you isn't such a bad thing after all. No matter how they let you feel as small as dust, always remember how you can get into their eyes easily.

A Painfully Funny Experience

May 11, 2011 was the date I had my tonsils out. Believe me, you wouldn't want to have your tonsils out too. The days that followed seemed like a very slow-paced chapter of pain. Seconds seemed like minutes, minutes like hours and hours like days. I never expected the pain to be that much though it was relatively obvious what I was getting myself into.

Days before the "big day," I placed myself into preparation of what I was headed to. A bit of research, viewing of actual surgery via YouTube and even heading to forums to see how people who have submitted themselves for "holy" tonsillectomy had to say were few things that kept me busy. The funny thing was me getting more frustrated and terrified to undergo the said operation right after seeing how tonsillectomy is actually done. Repeatedly convincing myself that tonsillectomy was something common and "minor" was apparently of no aid as well. I knew it was a bad move for my paranoia but eventually I realized that those acts were very helpful and worth-it.

It was late last year when my doctors strongly advised me to have my tonsils removed yet surprisingly, it took me a quarter to convince myself that it was for my own good. One can't blame me for being such a scaredy-cat; my dad was afraid of needles too! By this time, assuming that I've inherited some sort of phobia of needles, getting hospitalized and the like is very safe. Over that long span of time, internal debates have been going on though I knew beforehand what the bottom-line would be. And at long last, I have finally decided to leave my fears away and go for the win-win situation.
When the day finally came, I was trying to suppress my fear amid the light atmosphere in Chong Hua Hospital's operating room. Everyone seemed happy for a reason I never knew. Thoughts were swallowing my consciousness that time and the feeling of getting executed dawned on me big time. Around 9:00 in the morning, they brought me to operating room 4 (if I'm not mistaken). Yes, I would have to admit that it was my first time to see the inside of an operating room; pretty impressive and very similar to those that you see in the movies. However, I had a heterogeneous mix of feelings that made me so uneasy inside. My blood pressure sky-rocketed and I was staring at that monitoring device the same way one would watch the movie Titanic. Looking back at myself make me laugh at times. I felt like someone whose hat was that of a dunce's. All of a sudden, something was injected through the IV and the person who did it smiled and said, "this is for you to relax." The first dose seemed to have escaped my system as my stats were not giving them the results they have expected. So they had to give me another shot and *poof* I couldn't remember anything that happened next. The following scenes would be subject for censorship, trust me.

I woke up in the recovery room, painless but felt weird. An hour passed and I was sent to my own room ton "enjoy" my stay there. It turned out that the real recovery room was my own room.

Post-operation day one was not that bad. In fact, I wasn't in as much pain as I was in the successive days. I was getting more pain as days passed by. It reached the point when I wanted to give up but knew that there wasn't really such option since my tonsils already departed my body. Tears were the best comfort I got. Even my all-time favorite, Ice cream, didn't help me from being in a "not-so-happy-camper" mood. Pain was getting on my nerves too much that even my pain relievers were the inflicter of pain through my veins. It even came to a point where swallowing my own saliva was the least thing I would have wanted to do.

Days 3-7 were the most painful days during post-operation period. I am on my 10th day as of writing and pain has significantly faded though I still experience periods of sudden pain that would make me want to stay in bed and play dead.

Tonsillectomy was never a delight at all but it was the best option for me never to experience tonsillitis again. After all that I've been through, I could say I have won over my fears.

At this point, I place all modesty aside in saying I am tonsil-free and I made it!

Of Life, Lush and Love

Oftentimes people stop, think and eventually ask themselves where they are headed to. Ironically, I wasn't part of that comprehensive list. At some point I told myself, "am I really going somewhere?" It was the most mature question I have asked myself by far. 22 years and running and yet I don't see a clear path as to what I really want to be and where I want to be. My brother told me it's fine, he went through the same dilemma before. But he didn't stop there. Then I realized that I had to pick myself up from the desert-setting and put myself to a road eventually leading somewhere. Good point! The difficult question was "how?" Do I really have a plan for myself or do I rely on what may come my way? To tell you honestly I do not hold the answer to that question yet but I know I have to have a say and a firm decision.

Looking at my past tells me that I have been gearing toward the brighter side of life. But does it really have to stop there? What if I have reached that point where people would see the big difference in me, would I then be free to say I've won my race? At work, where I feel under-appreciated, I continue to do what I know is right despite the fact that nobody acknowledges or even sees it. It becomes a question on whether I work to please them or myself. With the way it goes, I could say that I would eventually end up pleasing myself for the untainted leadership that I have contained in me since day one. My only consolation is the thought that I know I'm way better than them and my résumé could spare me from the explanations that you might demand from me. Apart from that, I tell myself that I wouldn't be able to bring their "acknowledgements" with me in the event that I decide for a change in career path. But despite those said, I'm still grateful for all the learning I had and I can't deny the fact that I'm enjoying my job as of yet.

Work is a mixed bag for me. Sadly, the same is true with the way my hypothalamus is going. Emotions wasted, tears shed and efforts all vanished - that was what I thought love would be. I was wrong. While they may be apparently true, I knew they were only a part of the entire learning process and not necessarily the real gist of love itself. Life is a risk; so is love. Every move you make could be your last. Sometimes no matter how you give it your best, if you're not bound to last you perhaps never will. Moreover, it's our choices that count the most. Staying away from potential trouble is the safest at that. Like any situation, it's best to see the pros and cons of any action before it gets executed. It is not always, though, that we are given the luxury of time to think before we act. In such, it becomes a toss between what your mind and your heart deems right. All these thoughts are learning from the past that I found to be very vital in any kind of relationship. At this point of constant learning, I try to look back and see what went wrong and how I could possibly do away with them at present. Like what they say, it's better safe than sorry.

It's tough to give yourself a direction when you don't even know where to start finding yourself. It's just like striving to reach a goal without knowing what that goal exactly is. Sadly, I was pertaining to myself. I'm lost right now; not even a GPS device can find me. All I know is I don't have all the time to stay stagnant and wait for the thermal wind to come before I decide to do something.

I am not getting any younger and I know I have to make a move. Starting may be a big challenge but never impossible.

What Now?

Where am I? Can somebody tell me? Who am I? What is this I'm dealing with? These are among the questions that swarm my mind at this point. You know what they say about change. That it's the only constant thing in this world and blah. I have long accepted that but never have I expected that it can come aplenty at once. Was this ever in the definition of change or was I blind enough not to see it was actually there?

Was I too comfortable with the life I had not so long ago? Was I terribly "used to" the way it has been? Is this the price I pay for not being too ready?

Did I ever entertain the fact that I'd be handling almost a new set of people at work or was I just so optimistic that change will hit me slowly? Will I be able to cope with this or will I meet Mr. Epic Fail this time? For the longest time I have been trying to be flexible with work, with the tasks I have and with the people I face almost everyday. But to bend me this much is something I'm unsure to endure.

When was the last time I told myself that I was ready to settle down with the one I love? It seemed to me as though it was just yesterday. But what is this that I'm faced with right now? Has it gone to waste now that I'm broken? Is this what they meant when they said "People come and go?" If so, must I say I wasn't completely ready yet? Am I ready to face history repeat itself? Or should I just dump the long experience they say is called " true love?" Will I be happy if ever I take the wrong path again and will I ever get any consolation at all? Should I decide now, later, soon or never?

I don't know where home is now that I'm lost. But even if I knew the way home, would I ever recognize it now that it's no longer the way it was 5 years ago? Can anyone point to me which door to enter, which room to choose and how to start as if nothing much has changed? What time should I sleep, eat and go to work? Is the time over here still the same with that of others'? Should I secure another calendar to guide me with the right date or do I rather need a map to lead me to a specific direction as compared to my obscure route now?

The answers to all these questions remain unclear, unseen and unheard of. As of this writing I don't know what to do, how to deal with all these changes at once and how I could possibly move forward without dropping the ball. I fear failure and I know it's just around the corner. All I'm certain of is I have to be strong, lead by example to my subordinates without showing the weak part of me. I have to deal with these in any way that I see beneficial.


With fingers crossed, here it goes...

Tell me, how should I start?

What now???

Ironically Ironic

In my venture into the corporate world I've realized that corruption is not a term exclusively coined for government or politics for that matter. I've seen a lot of similarities between the outside world and the "formal" internal of the corporate world. Nothing's new in my opinion - crime, politics to mention a few are also real life situations in a company too. Placing into context the nation's sitting in possessing quite a number of incompetent people makes me remember how it is in work. The best thing is I'm not the only one who has noticed it. Well, it's basically the irony of life. Not everyone has the guts to spill it out and voice out.

You'd agree with me when I say that life isn't only ironic; it's unfair too. Notice how much people give a damn about hierarchy? Look at the real-life setting in this side of the world, is our faith in hierarchy working? Apparently not. We've elected a number of leaders who we want to be out of governance in the long run. Could it be because of wrong choices? I'll leave that for you to answer. If majority have indeed picked the wrong people in power, don't you think it's unfair to the people who never wanted those leaders to be in those positions?


It seems like the injustice doesn't end there. It exists in the corporate world too. Take a closer look at how we have to kiss ass just to please bigwigs. I'm sure, there will always be someone in any company better than them but despite that, we conform to their demands. Adding insult to injury, we can't even be straightforward in addressing what is bluntly going wrong. We need to be like a kitten trying to get a point across with a very little voice as much possible. Well trust me, it doesn't work all the time and it doesn't necessarily have to be like that as well. After all, what's so wrong with being straightforward in stressing out what you think and know is right?

With all those said, I come up with a simple thought - if government can get lambasted because of poor performance or even with simple lapses then why can't it be possible in the corporate world? Your first argument would most probably be that government and the corporate world are two separate sectors. I say - If government earn revenue from its people and private companies earn from its employees then what sets the big difference?

If this archipelago is covered by the so-called "democracy" then I suppose that companies cannot, in any way, hinder that to pass through their windows. We need to exercise a right we, more often than not, abandon. Because at the end of the day someone has to voice out and do the right thing even if it means being deviant.