The Urban Legend

Have you ever heard of certain Urban Legends? It's funny how these things seem to have a life of their own in their retelling. Some can be suspenseful or down right frightening - others come with lessons learned. Maybe even acutionary tales. But what if the urban legend is about you? Or in this case, me?

This talk started as an attempt to be humorous. In hindsight, of course, I can now laugh at what happened. I normally start with how the story had to be told.

One day, when I was still head of the training team for the Institute of Advanced Comtuper Tehcnology, a.k.a. I/ACT,I came upon a few of my staff. One of them opens up to me saying "Sir... si (let's call him Ariel - not his real name) nagpaalam. Di daw makakapasok kasi may hangover. Naparami nang inom. (trnslated as the staff can't come to work, because of a major hangover).

I stared at them and simply said, "Unacceptable" "If you want to know why, ask (I point to our inhouse house-cleaning staff, let's call him Terry - not his real name either). So my staff proceed to interview Terry.

THey find out about the time I went to work, sporting a major hangover. How I looked tired, and upon realizing that the manuals were not yet bound (using a plastic spiiral binder), I called Terry to ask if he know how to bind the manuals. Naturally, he said no. So I look at the equipment, assess how it is used. Experimented with one manual, with Terry all the while watching me. And I successfully bind one manual. I turn to him and ask if he cna now do them, and he says 'yes'.

Thank God... I proceed to the rest room to hurl.

Back tracking a bit. How did I get to this predicament? I was an active member of the Junior Chamber of the Quezon City "Capitol" chapter. It so happened that at that time, I was a Director of the club, and we had Japanese counterparts in the country. Naturally, we had to take care of them - and this meant entertaining them - meaning a binge night out. One that lasted too long (at 2am), and with too many to drink.

I was meaning to call a counterpart to take my place for a class the next day - a Saturday. Unfortunately, I got too busy to call. Sooo... I got home really drunk - it was a wonder how I drove home - but drive (oh so slowly and carefully) I did. I noticed my wife was asleep, so I went to take a shower... and hurled... with the presence of mind to hurl in the toilet bowl and not the sink. I was still lucid enough to know that if I used the sink, it would clog. I even hugged the bowl lovingly because it felt cool to my acheing head.

I wnet to bed exhausted. and slept soundly.

Until I bolted up four hours later. I realized I had a class and no one to replace me. So I took a cold shower - anything to wake me up and make me aware. I drove to work (in Greenhills) still smelling the alcohol in my breath despite the toothbrush. I needed to get to work and try calling my colleague form there. If he could take my place, that would be great. If not, at least I'm there.

It was a whole day of lecture, with just manuals to distribute - yes, those manuals that remained unbound in the technician's room.

It seemed that Terry did a great job, and he noticed my favoring the water dispenser - drinking a lot of liquid. I finally called my colleague, and got an answering machine instaed. He was being cute and composed the message this way. "Woof woof, hehe, this is Gali (the dog), my master isn't home right now, but if yo leave your message and contact details, he will get to you as soon as he returns.

Out of frustration I said "Gali, this is Butch, please tell your boss to come to the office as soon as he hears this message. I;m not feeling well, and I need him to take over my class." I was impatiendt and used a rather pissed tone.

I then got ready to start the class - but before I did, I hurled again in the rest room. Wet my face, and wiped - then proceeded to do the lessons. The topic was Into to Local Area Networking, a topic I know in and out... but that morning, it was difficult to compose my thoughts - but I soldiered on.

Eventually, the morning break happened - which gave me a moment to rest my head. I think I asked for a paracetamol, or something. There was none, so I asked Terry to buy some in the nearest drug store. I took in more water, then prepared my next set of lectures.

To say that the day was difficult would be an understatement... but to my credit, I was able to bridge the topics together ans still sound believable (at least I hoped). Come lunchtime my colleague - Gali's boss, finally came. Thing is there was just around two more hours of training left, so it seemed useles for him to still take over. I said I could continue - though I explained the situation to him. To his credit, he did not laugh at me - his boss.

My addled brain being what it was, I had a participant who looked intersting, and started oepning and closing her legs - I don't know if she was aware of what she was doing, and honestly... I was not in my right mind to appreciate it. :D The class eventually ended, my colleague stayed on - just in case, and when we studied the evaluation forms, I averaged 4 out of 5 in my scale... five being Excellent, and four above average. I couldn't care less. I went home, exhausted but having done my job despite my predicament. I think I slept when I got home. I'm sure I did.

Now... imagine how Terry saw things.

Wanting to impress upon my staff, he most likely told everything he observed. How I helped him with the manuals, how I went to the restroom to hurl several times... note, I was careful not to make a mess, lest any guest use the rest room and complain. And how I soldiered on despite experiencing a hangover. How I taught despite my condition, and still got good eval results.

How my staff realized how things went and how their colleague really could not use a hangover as an excuse, because if I could come in and teach in that predicament, i would not accept such as an excuse form them. :D

Thanks to Terry, my urban legend; that of being a tough as nails professional - 'take and give no excuse', show up even with a real bad hangover kind of trainer. was born.

I cna now laugh about it - and when I tell the tale, I'm sure my friends would laugh about it as well. My staff's resepct for me rose by sevearl notches. :D

It pays to be an urban legend.

Understanding Me

This is a project that I've done at least three times before. So I try to find a different angle or way to tackle the project. In this case, I tried a different approach - going outside the box to describe my style. It makes the project feel fresh, at the very least.

How do I communicate? That is a question I rarely ask myself. After all, we’re taught to talk at an early age. But talking isn’t communicating. After all, Communicating is a sharing of ideas - and talking is just one of two sides… the talker, and the listener.

So… am I a listener? Any Toastmaster can be a talker - we’re trained to talk… and talk real good. But are we also trained to listen?

Yes. After all, if we are to give feedback later, we need to listen, we need to absorb, discern what we heard, then consider alternatives to making the talk better… then, and only then can we give feedback.

But how about outside of Toastmasters? Do I practice this as well? Here’s how I’d look like in a meeting.

I’m quiet:

I am normally the quiet guy - but not because I’m shy. If I need to report, I can easily do that - but I’m not one to hog the limelight and speak for hours in front of others. Not that I can’t mind you - I have been a Corporate Trainer for decades. I’m used to lecturing for hours.

So when I say I’m the quiet guy in the room, it doesn’t mean I can’t participate - on the contrary, I am participating by listening, understanding, maybe asking a clarificatory questions. I’m in absorbing and observing mode - specially during team meetings.

I’m a sponge:

Soaking up the ideas and or contents presented me.

Given what I hear or get shared with, I can think, I can extrapolate - then squeeze out what I’ve absorbed - I share what I know, or understand… maybe even infer some things.
This is another speech I composed for a Toastmaster Pathwya project. One that focuses on communication styles.

This is me showing you that I listened, and understand.

I’m like crystal… or I’d like to be.

I try to break down complex ideas into something easier to understand. Again, this is from my background as a Business Analyst.

I know how systems work (with procedur)
I know how developers think (logically),
I know how business owners think (what is easier to implement and does not cost too much),
I know how end users think - okay… maybe that last one can be a challenge.

But I can explain to them in simple terms what the system, as designed, is suppose to help them.

In that sense, you could say I’m an interpreter. I tell management what can be done and how things can be more logical - and I tell the developers what needs to be done… what rules need to be followed - even if they sound illogical.

Lastly… I can be a conductor.

Communicating how to put things together - which must come first, and why.

I appreciate a symphony - not cacophony. And you get such symphony when people collaborate smoothly.

If that happens, I know I communicated well. If not… well, we try again.

Bonus (if there is time), I do a plus / delta analysis with my team, always emphasizing the lessons learned… and great things we could repeat

This is me… this is what I do, and how you can understand me.

How about you? Have you given yourself a thought? Do you understand you?

Pasigarbo DisCon - Sunday: B Reunion, International Speech Contest Finals, lunch, and back to Manila

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A bit of a confession. I drank a lot Saturday evening, so much so that I felt it Sunday morning. In fact I was thinking of sleeping off the morning. However I had a shceduled Division B past Governors and Directors reunion with Dennies Siongco, a Cebu-based past Governor at 7am. You could say I did not really enjoy my buffet breakfast that morning. I enjoyed the reunion, but was in passive mode the entire time.

I even felt like hurtling in the middle of the get , so I excused myself and went to the rest room to hurle my breakfast - thankfully, Dennies and the otehrs did not really notice how I looked and felt (yes, I did not shower for this reunion either - but that's okay since my room was airconditioned, and I did not really sweat.

The next activity was a talk by Aaron Beverly, but I opted to go back to sleep some more. Get up later and attend whatever else I can. I dozed for at least two more hours - took a hot shower, then showed up late at the pavillion. After all, it wouldn't do any good for me to skip the rest of the DisCon. I had to represent N in whatever capacity I still could.

I would like to thank, my good friend Glenda, who offered to return to her hotel room to get me a bottle of water mixed with Berocca. This really helped me counter my hangover, and I could continue with the day. The rest of it was breezing through the International Speech contest, and taking group shots because we know after luch would be the closing ceremonies, and wveryone would then be getting ready to check out and leave for the airport.

While I was having lunch, my HOLA colleagues went to ollect me so we could finally get a group picture by the beach. You see, we'd planned this since day one, but we were all too busy with different things to get the gang together.

As my flight was around 9pm, and apparently, was in the same plane as Dan and a few other Toastmasters, we were to be brought to the airport around 7pm. Meanwhile, it was enjoy the rest of the day. At the airport we again saw Toastmasters - all ounging around, waiting for their respective flights. Ours was a much delayes one though, and what was supposed to be a 10pm arrival at Manila, turned into a 4am arrival instead. Man, that was bad. But as you can see, while waiting at Mactan airport, we were still all smiles - that was until we had to crowd around to board the plane. That in itslef deserves anotehr entry. After all, it shouldn't affect the overall positive vibe of Pasigarbo sa Sugbu.

Daghang Salamat to all the organizers of this DisCon. It was highly enjoyable and meorable despite some hiccups. Looking forward to the next Discon, this time, in Angeles, Pampanga.

Now I just have one question... what do I do with all these new wardrobes?

Pasigarbo DisCon - Saturday: Finals, DTM Aaron's fun talk, lunch and Director's Ball

Saturday... in Mactan... I'd think it was the 4th of July... (from Saturday in the Park by Chicago)

After breakfast, we all trooped to the pavillion to listne to our special guest, World Champion for Public Speaking Aaron (of the Indian wedding, groom's best man protect shoes at all costs talk - look it up in YouTube). It was a light talk, and I was half listening and half going around the venue. My first action? I noticed PDD Ninio enjoying a massage, so I opted to have one as well. Shiatsu pressure points massage, and the guy really did a number on my arms and shoulders. Man... that hurt... so... good. (Yes I can be a masochist when it comes to massages). The masseus offered to use lotion, but hot as it was in the tant, I did not want to feel sticky with intructions not to take a shower soon. Luckily, no picture of me grimmacing was taken.

One other thing the organizers wanted us to do was to have an outfit per occasion. This time, it was to come across as Havanna inspired outfits. So don't judge me - this was as Havanna-inspired as I could get.

I think it would have been better to wear the shirt out than tucked in. And did I mention the heat? THe Pavillion's aircon could not handle the heat - I would also say it was because the canvas roof did not have any insulation against the sun's heat. Suffice to say, my favorite location was near the Airconditioner's cool air release path. Aaron's talk came and went - and I did not have the notes taken - anyway, it's supposed to be recorded, so we'll eventually get to watch it again later.

We then all witnessed the Finals for Table Topics and Evaluation contests.

After this hot morning, we had a hotter lunch time. I simply wanted toeat and return to the pavillion - while others had the patience to walk around and have pictures taken by the beach and elsewhere. I just wanted to enjoy the cool atmosphere.

The afternoon also saw us witnessing the Humorous Finals. A prelude to what was to come next.

Next on the agenda was the one thing that many expected to be difficult. It was election time, and one of the things we were looking forward to was having the passing of a resolution by the Reallignment Committee, chaired by Past International Director Dotty Du, and as members of the committee, she opted to tap all the Division Directors to have a complete representation of District 75.

Honestly, we (the committee members) expected some pushback from certain people / divisions because they were not fans of our suggestion for all new Divisions to start fresh with an all new lettering process. Some simply wanted the option to choose and keep their old Division letters. It wa a bit sad that one such proponent for this move was Division B, my old Division from the vantage point that I was a Past Division B Governor. Many were simply adamant to keep the old letter simply because they did not see why everyone needed to start from scratch.

During our deliberations in the committee and votation, we had a close votation - and a tie-breaker for such an idea. But the thing is, we throughly discussed all these options. Anyway, we were finally surprised when the motion was passed with hardly ang oposition. Yes, there was a discussion - which got a bit heated, and lord knows I was ready to talk as well, butafter all was said... the motion to adapt the committee's realignment suggestions as a whole, passed. Whem...

We ended up really late, but there was still one more event to attend, plus it needed another attire cahnge.

It was a night of Sunset colors. The Director's ball - something that usually is a formal occasion, was now being presented as an outdoor, tropical, sunset event. I was really tempted to just stay put and not change clothes anymore, but it was also a chance to take a quick shower after all that hot morning and afternoon. So yeah, backto the hotle, have a quick shower, cool down a bit, then take teh shuttle to the Director's Ball dinner. Shouldn't be hard and complicated, right? Except that while we were in teh shuttle, it suddenly rained - hard. Now mind you, the Ball was happening in the outdoors. I can only imagine the chaos that ensued then the downpour occured.

When I arrived with the rest of the shuttle delgates, we were met with a table of people under tenst with the outdoor tenst unoccupied, waiters moving tirelessly drying places up - changing table cloths, or simply removing them. The food, unfortunately was not all saved - water-logged server trays and some were moved undert tenst - but not all. Plates were also wet. I had to seek some dry tissues or table cloths to dry up a plate I could use from the wet buffet table, and then go to the dry ones to grab what I could eat.

this proves that we had resilience. After all, what would we do? Complain? Leave? Gripe?

As the night went on, we all decided to forget the incident. Eat what we could then enjoy the entertainment - after all, the rain stopped, and the party continued. Goes to show how game we all can be. Focusing on what we can enjoy.

As Toastmasters, we still showed our smiles. One downpour will not spoil our evening.

Pasigarbo DisCon - Friday: Run-offs, and Opening Ceremonies

Friday morning started with an early Buffet breakfast for Director Dan and myself. After all, call time to the District Run-offs was at 7:30am. So we wend down to eataround six - ready to face the day. I won't bore you with details as to what we ate - this isn't the blog entry for that.I'll just say that breakfast was filling - and we would need the energy to work through a long day. You see, the Convention has not yet started, so there would be no lunch served to the delegates - unless you were party to helping the Run-offs er... run off.

As Division N's Director, I needed to be on Batch two's location to watch my contestants compete. Though I would have also wanted to watch Batch one, because HOLA's contestants were there. Ah, the travails of having these simultaneous events happening. THe venue of batch two was also st the Belmont Hotel - just beside Savoy, So after breakfast, Direk Dan and I went to Belmont. He as a judge for the first two contests. He would later transfer back to Savoy to catch the last two contests.

A bit of a back story, before we continue. The evening before run-offs, and before the welcome dinner, we - District Council, had a quick meeting to discuss what would happen (hence my watching Division N's competition, as the Director), and I volunteered for an additional task - that of being a 'watcher'. My role, disuade Toastmasters from taking pictures and videos of the contest. There would be assigned media coverage people for the constest, so the DisCon organizers thought that the members should sit back and watch - and not take pictures, nor videos. As a watcher, I (and anotehr volunteer) would watch the audience - and if we see someone taking photos or videos, we would be armed with laser pointers to signal the Toastmaster to stop what they were doing.

So, there I was, watching and monitoring the crowd - and true enough, I caught two Toastmasters in the act. I later caught a third one - but the point was, our group was able to limit the taking of videos and pictures. I watched Division N's contestants - noticing a few discrepancies in their delivery, but in the end, two N contestant moved on to the Finals - Humorous and Evaluation. On a side note, we later heard that our room had the better acoustics, and the otehr site was not strict with the picture-taking consideration. This is something that future organizers will have to consider. After all, it didn't seem fair to the people at our location that we were strict and the other side lax.

Anyway...

The next call time for us was 4:30pm for the Street Dance / parade to the event's place where the Opening Ceremonies would be.` All Directors were to also wear a Pasigarbo t-shirt... basically a limited release shirt only for organizers, Directors and VIPS, so yeah, glad I have one, as seen in this picture with Director Dan, myself and TM Marge. Direk Dan and I were wearing the shirt. Marge was a bit more formal because she would be singing the National Anthem later. We paraded to the beach area of Newtown where the Opening Ceremonies started as evening came - and boy were we glad for that too, because the heat and humidity was intense. Despite this, we were all having fun. The trio started the parade of Toastmasters after some street dancers, then we all followed, and as Division N, we arrived last. Along the way, posing with the tarpoline posters of N's contestants.

A minor huccup for the organizers... when we arrived there was no reserved table for us, hence we ran our of a tableto use. I asked the organizers to correct this and they later added another table for us. It took some time, but it finally happened. Meanwhile everyone else was linnig up for dinner - so yeah, we kinda ran out of food too. Bummer... but both eventually got resolved. Still, it was a ggod time, and the Fiesta Atmosphere that I mentioned I'd be looking for was finally here.

As the program officially started, we had the parade of banners, and I carried Division N's banner to the stage.

There were dance exhibits with Lapu Lapu and Magellan, and the rest of the evening was a large party with music, fireworks and fellowship. I hopped around between the N corwd and the H crowd as much as I could - but I also wandered around greeting friends and having pictures taken. The crowd enjoyed themselves and I eventually got tired and had to walk back to the hotel because there was also a free concert nearby, and the streets were closed with a sea of humanity. As I was winding down to sleep, Dan comes into the room and says a group of people from H were thinking of having more beers at a place nearby, so I got up and accompanied him to Chicken and Beer where we met up with a couple more Toastmasters to continue talking, and laughing.

We ended around 1am... so much for sleeping early. Tomorrow would be another activity-filled day - but before that, breakfast buffet again around 6am.

Pasigarbo DisCon! - Thursday, pre-DisCon

In a previous entry, I talked about how I was expecting the Cebu DisCon to have a Fiesta atmosphere... and it did not dissapoint! In fact, the DisCon delivered in spades. Let me share my personal experience here.

I'll post things on a per day basis, so the blog itself won't be too long a read. Thurday, April 24:
My flight to Cebu was at 7am, and touchdown was around 9. Umfortunately, I was unable to disembark on time to join a morning boat activity (with jet skis and para-sailing), ah well... I got to rest a bit in the room I shared with another Division Director, Dan. Dan arrived earlier, and got ot join said trip, so I had the room to myself for the rest of the morning and lunchtime.

I decided to sleep, since I had not slept properly the night before while waiting for my arranged pick-up and trip to the airport. Unfortunately, I was awakened by someone in the doorbell - and I apparently received a welcome platter. Unfortunately, the name in the card was someone else, so I did not touch the platter's contents until I got a 'go signal' from District Director Jot. After all, it would be poor form for me to eat someone else's welcome platter. I later learned that the platter was given most arriving Toastmasters, so it really was safe for me to eat someone else's platter - he probably got mine. Anyway, I took a shower, then slept. I would eat later when I felt more rested.

When I finally went down to the lobby and out the hotel to seek out lunch, I bumped into Direk Jonathan (Division L Director), and Area Directors Karen, and Jon - all three are members of CITI Toastmasters, and apparently, their club President, Nancy came a day earlier, and was enjoying some cayak time, even as we met in the lobby.. I then sought out lunch; ending up getting a chicken with rice meal in 7-11 (what can I say, I'm cheap). The other places were full, so I avoided them. The weather reminded me of summer, and why I would prefer staing in the hotel. So I bought lunch 'to go', and returned to my room.

The next activity would be the Welcome Dinner for foreign Toastmaster guests and VIPs (past District Governors/Directors) and World Champion for Public Speaking, Aaron. So I opted to go register and get my DisCon kit. in the afternoon, then just resting until the time to get to the poolside area where the dinner would be held. I got in early and sat in on Sulo Advanced TMC's meeting, get together - leading up to dinner.

My first option for dinner? Why, the lechon, of course. After all... when in Cebu, we need to have Cebu Lechon. After which I selected other items in tidbits, then some non-alcoholic drinks, and dessert.

Some Toastmasters from Divison N started arriving, and since we had more than enough food, I said it was okay for them to join us. Most of them were from the ING Toastmasters club and GSM. Then the fellowship started. Aside from chatting with each other and having pictures taken, we were regaled by a singer, and guitarist - purely a laid back atmosphere. Then people were asked to render a song - one per table (at least) and I was selecte to represent our table. I gamely agreed, and when it was finally my turn to sing, I chose a simple, yet poignant classic - Misty. Even the female singer agreed that my choice was a great song. I rendered it with little effort, and that was that. I opted to return to our room, looking forward to a good sleep, and need to wake up and go down for Buffet breakfast.

Musings for this Holy Week

This is just me. But I wonder if many other Catholics have similar musings of and for themeselves whenever Holy Week passes us by. Now what od I mean with this? Holy Week - at least here in the Philippines is basically a two day holiday (no work on Manudy Thursday and Good Friday for most people), and if you had work as well on a Saturday... well, for some this extends to Saturday too. Sunday is rarely work day related; except for the service insustry - which usually stays open Thursdays, and it's back to work on Saturdays. So technically, for most... it's just Friday. Bbut for a lot of office workers, it's Thursday off... and back to work on Monday after Easter.

Now, what do most people do on these days? Well, it seems that for most people working in the city, it's time for them to take a break - either go home to their provinces, or visit vacation spots with loved ones (or go trekking alone). This in tunr makes the city more convenient... none of the usual traffic congestions, and driving around is close to... well, heaven.

But what is the significance of Holy Week? How does it help us? This is what I'd like to explore on a personal basis. My thoughts may differ from others. Then again, we are individuals with differeing ideas and beliefs, so...

What is holy week to me?

Well, for starters, it is a non-work day (or week) for everyone. The last thing I think of doing is to go out of town. Joining the bandwagon to either vacay up north... and meet everyone crowding around in one city... turning into a traffic capital. That isn't for me. Best time to go to Baguio? A week before everyone else is free to go. But definitely not during the Holy Week. Same down south. The highways are packed with people leaving for their family break.

I did a few trips to Baguio way back when I was a young kid. Stay at my cousins' family estate. Kapit Langit - the Rodrigos' residences back then, and i liked the memories of horseback riding, of the cool weather, of walking in fields of pine trees with that pine smell. Roasting masrhmallows by the fireplace, while the adults gathered to talk, chill, drink scotch, laugh, play an early game of golf... it was a nice vacation. But as time passed, the allure of Baguio got lost. The rustic feel was replaced by a sprawling concrete jungle where you can whiff the smoke of traffic and hardly smell pine trees... except at Camp John Hay where they wisely kept things feeling like Baguio way back when. So nowadays, back to Baguio? No thanks. I would rather go to Sagada which retains (for now) the Baguio feels of old - yet with enough modernization like WiFi signals. But the smell of pine... the look at the clouds below you, rolling over mountain tops, the chilling weather. Yeah, that I would return to... someday. But not on Holy week either.

Down south is Laguna and Batangas... further down is Quezon. Mostly for beaches or resorts. Nice getaways - but not during Holy week when everyone has the same idea and vacation destination. Beaches wouild be... well, acceptable (btw, there are beaches up north as well around the Ilocos area), so if your thoughts are to stroll in the beach with the occasional dip in the water, well... that can be done - but again, I suggest... not in Holy Week.

Nope. Ironically, the best palce to be during that relatively long vacation time, is in the Metro. Sure, lot of establishements may be closed, but there are some that stay open. The sparse traffic allows for visita iglesia (where you go visit nine churches), or you can join the annual trek to Antipolo - and by trek, I mean walking... something my family did several times, and I even got to bring a few freinds along. There are stories I can share about just that - but in another entry perhaps.

Nowadays, i use the wuiet time to reflect, recharge and yes... renew. It is the perfect time to watch religiously themed shows - at least I can do that without and tinges of guilt. The shows also give me strong visual reminders of who Christ is... wht he went through... how all this, is to help save us all.

Way back when, that would be Father Patrick Payton's Rosary crusade - in fact, most televisions would be off air. Radios too. Many still practice this. It's their way of keeping things meaningful for at least two days. So we really had nothing to listen to, or watch. Nowadays, though, with streaming services... that temporary ceasing of services seems nearly inconsequential. You just choose a different platofrm to watch your shows or movies. One particular movie I watch is the Passion of Christ - the Mel Gibson directed opus. Highly visual... and it really hits it's audience in the guts. Now, however, I have gravitated to The Chosen - a multi seasoned series focusing on Christ's chosen - his apostles, with Jesus front and center at major corssroads - but the show also makes us see Jesus as a person. Fallible? Perhaps - but focused on what he needs to do. Serious with his mission, and once in a while, yes... with miracles performed. We have had several years to understand the disciples journey - we see their fallibility, and as always, Jesus' openess to forgive and accept his followed back into the fold.

My only minor peeve? It is taking literally years to pave the ay to Jesus' eventual passion. This coming season (Season 5) will end with the last supper. So, you know... as the saying goes, 'bitin'. But the journey is also somehting we half=heartedly dread seeing.Ah well...we all knwe what we were getting into when we started this watch.

But reflecting on that. I've heard how some grown ups now realize how the practices of old were sommewhat warped. Sure they may have been well meaning ones - but the explanation, or the reasoning may have been change for a few. I recall how a friend once said that they were not allowed to play until Jesus' suposed death at Friday, around 3pm, So what did they learn? Ironcially, to celebrate his death, witht he happines on now being able to play. You can't blame the kids for that. My household back then was the opposite - all fun ceased upon his 'death'. So we were raised to be more solemn.

But as time went on, as I grew old and had a faimly of my own, I stated being more practical - no, he did not die again. We are reminded of it, but we need not mourn. Let's remove the theatrics. Holy Week is more a personal reflection. How did I do the past year? Was I a better human being? Do I need to atone for some things? Are there adjustmenst in my lifestyle I need to consider to be a better person? I would liek to think that my family reflects the same values asbeing Christians are conerned - the right ones, not the ones simply practicing one thing in church and another outide of it.

Yes, we're all fallibel But we cna pick ourselves up, and knwoing better... trudge on the same path with renewed strenght and vogor, with added thoughts that what we're doing is still right. Or... having realized that some adjustments need to be made, do so, as we journey on. But with the thoughts of being a better Catholic always at the back of these Holy Week reflecitons. - that to me, is Holy Week. Review, Reflect, Renew.

Review how I've lead my life as a Catholic;
Reflect on the paths ahead; on the life I've led and that of those I've affected, and...
Renew my vow to be a better Catholic.

To stay the course of being humble, helpful and hopeful.

Positivity

Positivity: Lessons learned.

When I first read through this speech project, I thought – piece of cake. I have, after all, been writing journals for years. So all I needed to do was to continue writing them for two weeks. You see – as I wrote in the past, I used a freeform – ‘anything goes’ topic style. From my Wandering Mind to my Minutiae Musings - the entried were all about things I wanted to share... or at least have a place to post and read back once ina while.

However, when I reviewed what I wrote… I realized a few things:
- I can be surprisingly profound about life, love and how I am affected by it. I wonder what I ate, or drank those days
- I relate to myself, in a self-awareness capacity. Reviewing what I did, and if there was a better way to do what I did in a Manager/Leader’s capacity
- I tend to be accurate about certain analysis points (I predicted a Bongbong presidency way back when he lost the VP race)

Still… that was then. When I did this exercise again; this time… with focus on positivity and gratitude, I realized a few things:
- If you try hard enough, you can find something to be thankful for.
example: clean the ref to make space?
I became the human trash compactor for food items ignored by others for several days – just yesterday, I was forced to finish small white puto buttons, and a half pint of vanilla ice cream in one sitting - hey, someone had to do it.

Ref then has space for new groceries – and no food was wasted. When I told my wife about this, she gave me her opinion – something I cannot repeat, so I’ll just keep it as a personal term of endearment. :D

- Each small victory – and this need not be just my own, is to be celebrated.
example: my son moves from one job to another – but in a better company?
Congratulations! It’s margarita pitcher night c/o the family bar tender… me ;)

- Every trial will have their silver linings
example: my wife and I realized that she has a medical condition that will need an operation. Hence we’ve been to the hospital almost daily these past two weeks – getting different tests.

Silver lining 1) we discovered the advantages of being our kids’ (actually working young adults – but we still refer to them as kids) dependents and their Maxicare coverage. Most lab tests were covered, and Barbie gets a version of her annual physical exam.

Silver lining 2) My wife and I were thinking of having a vacation – even just a staycation. Well… wish granted, we’ll be billeted in the four star vacation destination that is Cardinal Santos Medical Center. Why just four stars? I can’t vouch for the food, yet.

How did I prctice this exercise? the Gratitude App.
In fact, if you are familiar with it, you will know that it can even help you think of topics you can start to consider being grateful about. If you have not tried it yet, I suggest you do. THe point of this being, by doing this ina regular basis - you may not be aware, but you begin to make a habit of finding and recognizing the positive spin to any situation.

As a trainer, self-discovery, and self-awareness comes with the territory
– but gratitude… that meant learning to appreciate the small stuff.
Put all these together, and they become the foundation for a happy life.

I’ve always been a realist vs. either that of being a pessimist, or an optimist.
But between these polar opposites, I’d rather steer closer to optimism.
With optimism comes hope, and that is always worth having. The Gratitude app, and this ‘Focus on what is Positive’ exercise helped me see things in a more appealing light. It helped me see the silver linings, and helped me be thankful in any day – in any way. It feeds me with hope.

I leave you with this…
Eat food to help make room for more food in your ref;
Nothing is too small to not celebrate, so look for any excuse, and celebrate often;
look for silver linings; specially in challenging times. It just takes a differing point of view.

Have a happy, thankful and grateful life.

Unconditional Love

Have you ever had a dog?
Have you ever experienced the joy of having one?

Hunter was my first official dog – a German Shepherd who shared my life for 14 years.

An uncle brought him to our home to show him off. For some reason, he got out of the garage, ran out in a playful mode, and onto a speeding vehicle moving downhill. By most accounts, that would have been the end of it. But the driver was able to brake fast enough, and Hunter found himself crying out – not from a car injury, but a possible pulled muscle and a sudden stiff neck. Not to mention he was traumatized.

My mom, got furious with my uncle’s poor judgement, leading to him leaving Hunter with us… or should I say, with me. Hunter slept at my bed that night. I was a young, College Freshman by this time, and a very private person – far from the sociable debonaire in front of you :)

That trauma with the car, however, would come back again and again by way of a debilitating pain in the neck area. He would yelp and cry out, and out of desperation, we gave him Neurobion (a nerve medicine) – that seemed to work, but it came to a point where my mom talked to me about bringing him to the vet to euthanize him. That evening I hugged Hunter and prayed to God give him more time to be my companion, at least, until I would have a partner and not be left alone. For some reason – call it a miracle, or an answered prayer even… Hunter’s attacks stopped.

--------- Fun times: We’d play ball – that would mean me bouncing a pelota ball on the floor to ricochet to the wall, and arch back to me – or Hunter; to whoever was fast enough to catch it’s downward curve. This definitely gave him some much needed exercise. We would go for walks – one opportunity arose; we snuck up on an unsuspecting cat, downwind – one slow step at a time. Hunter understood what I wanted to do, so he also moved slowly - we were on a hunt, and we were able to reach within six inches from this blissfully unsuspecting cat, who was busy grooming itself. We were literally on top of it. I then waitrd until it realizes it’s predicament, and like a flash, it sped away from us. I held back – after all, the challenge was to sneak close. Chasing would not be a real challenge… plus I’m sure I just spared the cat from spending one of it's lives.

One of the more consistent things Hunter would do is always wait by the door for me to arrive from school. Whenever I opened the door, he’d be there… excited to greet me. And it was a good feeling to go home to someone literally bounding for joy. It would also be a great counter to the sermon I would receive form my mom for coming home late. On certain occasions that I felt I was at the short end of life's situations, I would literally talk to Hunter - he became my sounding board. He looked like he understood me, and sat beside me to offer companioinship

No one outside of my family could approach me when I was asleep. And even then, if any of my sisters would try - he’d give a warning growl. I would therefore wake because they would start berating Hunter. It wasn't his fault, he was just protecting me. Meanwhile, they (my sisters) would stay a respectful distance away while dong so.

I used to own a harmonica, and tried playing a sad haunting tune with it; Hunter would start moaning and bellowing – singing in accompaniment. Amazing, huh? He could feel the emotive nature of the tune and join in. Hunter was also social with my friends. WHenever they visited, he'd just be under the table - seemingly listening to teh conversations. He saw me accepting them, and in the process, he, too, accpeted their comapny. When I'd converse and drink some alcoholic beverages with them until late at night, he'd stay with us for the duration of their visit. If a friend slept at my spare bed, Hunter would allow it - he even had this habit of getting the cardboard center of a toilet paper roll, and just chew and salivate on it. Then he'd put it on my sleeping frien's chest - sort of asking to play toss the soggy roll, and he would fetch it, then return it to repeat the process of toss and fetch.

-------- Hunter meets Barbie Hunter was my dog, years before I met Barbie. When I brought Barbie home to meet the family on my mom’s birthday, Hunter stuck close – always observing, and smelling her. He was measuring her – to see if she was worthy of me. As time went by, if he saw her hugging me, he would insist on putting himself between us. But he would also notice my mood – and know that Barbie wasn’t hurting me at all… just frustrated with his over-protectiveness. He accepted (or tolerated) her around me.

When she would mockingly act like she was attacking me, he knew enough to intervene – but not attack. You have to realize, against a petite female; a full grown German Shepherd can intervene in a lot of ways. Still… for the love of me, they tolerated – even loved each other.

Nerve attacks again: One night his nerve attacks came back. This was Barbie’s first time seeming Hunter this way, and she tried comforting him too. Again I prayed silently… this time, asking God not to take Hunter yet – at least, not until I had a family… and like before, the attacks subsided. However, I also realized that Hunter had been my constant companion for close to 14 years, and his age was catching up. For all intents and purposes, he was a senior - an aged dog in his twilight years Hunter leaves: When Hunter finally left me, it hurt a lot. I won’t be ashamed to say I cried. I had to bring him to a place in Manila that accepted animals for burial. After all, it would be hard to bury a relatively large dog in a place that hardly had soil. I had to borrow a friend's car. When Fred found out why I needed the car - no questions asked, he lent me the car. This ws to rush him to the vet. He also knew how close Hunter was to me. Unfortunately, when I saw tht HUnter looked to want some water, I asked the vet clinic if they had a water dish. For some reason, they didn't and we ended up looking around. By the time I returned to him, Hunter was already gone. I hated the clinic for robbing me of having those last moments with Hunter. Fred and I searched for the burial place, before that, we even brought Hunter to my sister, to sort of say their goodbyes. I was drained, tired, and sad - but when I got home, Barbie comforted me, and showed me the ‘good news’ – she was pregnant (with Bryce).

It seemed that Hunter had stayed on until I had my family… he left knowing I was not alone anymore. His mission of companionship, loyalty and unconditional love had ended. He knew I was in good hands. I thanked God for all those years and imagine him looking down on me from pet heaven.

Truth be told, I enjoyed my experience with Hunter. Yes, his passing was painful. But rather than focus on the pain of his leaving, I prefer to remember the good old days. Do I regret having Hunter? Of course not. Would I do it again? We did. Still do. You can learn and grow with your dog. They will reward you with loyalty, playfulness but most of all… unconditional love. So, my advice? Ditch your aloof and demanding cats, and adopt a dog as your companion instead. Hahahaha! Just kidding... we do have cats too. But the commection just isn't the same. The show of unconditional love is deep with dogs, and I'd like to think they also make you a better person for it.

Addendum: I've had four dogs after hunter - as a family we cared for them as best we could. Ciscumstances, however, conspired to prevent us from having them as long as we wanted. Still, I did love them all. I was sorry to see them go. Three of them went to Cuenca to live with my sister - and we got to see them whnever we went to Cuenca, Batangas. Unfortunately, I did not get to see them 'go' because Batangas is far, and the first two to go, left during the pandemic - so I really cound not visit even if I wanted to.

Now. Heuwulf is technically my sixth dog - and once again, just like Hunter was... Beowulf is a German Shepherd. The adventue continues, and once again, I experience unconditoninal love - together with my family, in Beowulf's actions.

Me? A Leader?

Me a leader? How did this happen? Well... let's find out, shall we.

As a kid – you could say I was cantankerous. , okay... maybe that was an overstretch. But I was definitely impatient. I couldn't keep still, and yes... I so wanted adventure. My favorite Disney cartoon? Peter Pan, of course. Advanture, swash-buckle and flight. Who wouldn't want that? And yes, fighting pirates! In a more grounded TV series, there was the Rat Patrol - a group of four, who went through missions in the dessert with just tow army jeeps with machine guns mounted on each - and their missions entailed fighting a highly powered, much larger, and better armed military force. They were facing Rommel's Panzers. They had to be fast, brave, almost fool-hardy, and needed to think on their feet. A perfect underdog situation. I loved this show.

I could somehow I relate with them. And I connected with their leader – the guy with the cowboy hat (Christopher George).

I felt curious, restless and adventurous. maybe strategic –those shows shaped some parts in me. As a Teen, my pastime was reading comics, I likes Superheroes, and more notably - the X-men.

By Marvel Comics, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77301898

They were, after all a band of teens, with Cyclops as their strategist / field leader, he was a loner and stoic when in his civilian clothes, you see, he felt he could not socialize for fear of hurting others – but as field leader, he was quick, competent and needed to think quick. I related most with him, including how to approach ladies - which is… not at all. (possibly hurt others with his powers, remember?) Ah well… leadership does have its ups and downs. He has a large chip on his shoulder, and had as large a responsibility.

College didn’t offer many leadership opportunities – I usually gravitated to being a foot soldier, or at worst... the second-in-command when it came to being part of orgs. I did not see myself as worthy in being a leader. Same came to work. I stayed the same –second-in-command. Why was that? You could say it might have been a lack of confidence. My numerous pimples did not engender confidence either. When I later outgrew the pimples, I greavitated to being a lead for my peers… but not in management’s eyes.

I was unknown and untested. And I was okay with that so long as my team lead was okay, we’d be cool. I guess I thought if things go wrong the lead gets blamed, and the second was safe. Maybe I watched too many Star Wars and opted to avoid Vader’s chokehold. :D

But, when things had to be done, and I was asked – I rarely said no. I had confidence in myself, credibility, knowledge, and what I didn’t know, I relied on my ability to learn. My chance to prove myself to Management came when I was asked to handle a special project. It was to be part of a two-person team to teach the Institute of Advanced Computer Technology, a.k.a. I/ACTs nine-module, comprehensive, Systems Development course in Tanzania. Tha Bank of Commerce, the country's version of a Development Bank, was going for computerization, and their consultant - the SGV, opted to give I/ACT, this porject. I would do Modules 1-3, and 6-9, Modules 4-5 (analysis and design) would be handled by my partner. I would do the rest... from Information Planning to Security, to Documentation. Thing is, I studied Systems Analysis narly 5 years of longer, also in I/ACT.

My boss said I would have the needed manuals to study. Not realizing it yet, my saying 'yes' to such a project, and successfully getting it done, put me on Management’s radar. It made people see me as dependable; it gave me credibility. Plus, I got to see another part of the world - one that I would not have done had it not been for this opportunity.

I joined the Junior Chambers – and learned more about leadership, but got put off by all the politics - but not before I reached the VP posiiton. Anyway, I finally agreed to a colleague’s nth request for me to try Toastmasters. I caught a glimpse of what Toastmasters was about when I joined the Jaycees sponsored Speechcraft (I later learned it was a Toastmasters program applied to non-Toastmasters. As I had some free time when I did not renew my Jaycees membership, I joined the Diamond Toastmasters. Funny thing is, it seemed that I joined in an interesting time. The club’s founder; my friend, and the newly elected President had a strong disagreement. It became bad Not very diplomatic… the founder banned the President from entering the club premises, so the President resigned.

I did not know about, as I joined after the fact. I noticed that my friend was acting President, and the club was undegoing a 'selection', not really an election, process - they were discussing who would lead Diamond. One of the older members – to get away from the constant pestering of the founder to be the next President, pointed to me instead. The founder considered the possibility. I was fresh, but I had just come from the Jaycees - an organizaiton known to form leaders. Dulce Ranosa, who was then the Immediate Past President seconded the idea. I was surprised… but you know me... I don't back down from a challenge (remember Tanzania?). I said yes with their promised support to guide me.

So… this near dead club – with 10 members, majority of whom were reluctant to lead because of the bad politics (which I did not know about yet) trudged along with a tyro as President.

On my second month, I received a letter from SGS, addressed to the President of Diamond Toastmasters. They wanted to know more about Toastmasters, and how to join and how much – so I answered their queries. A week later, I received a check for ten new members. Just in time for my Induction.

The outgoing President (my friend), pointed out he was leaving the club with X amount in the coffers – boasting to everyone that he was the only President who left the club's treasury, hinting that everyone else amongst the past presidents, had lessened the coffers during their term. He had this tendency to bellitle people. So, in my induction speech, I showed everyone the check I received from SGS that amounted to the same amount in said coffers. Everyone was stunned. The SGS guests that attended that evening were then inducted as new Toastmasters.

Funds doubled. Memebrship doubled.

Was I boastful? Nope. I simply didn’t allow my friend to put me down. To ensure he did not feel any resentment, I approached him and said, I got lucky. And he said he was surprised that the club was growing under my watch. That’s when our friendship got stronger… I now had his respect.

Was I a leader then? You bet. Proud, but diplomatic. But still a tyro.

In Toastmasters, it took me months to learn the ropes and achieve my first norm, Why, you ask? Simple, when no one was gearing to speak, I’d step up – so I finished my manual relatively fast.

I wanted the club to survive and even joined my first \ contest without any experience whatsoever. I got to be the Area champion for Table Topics – whatever that meant. Other than that, it was all just noise. If it did not help my club – I said, no thanks. What was noise I ignored. After all, my club was still in survival mode. I just wanted to ensure the club could sustain itself.

Somehow, I got recognized… and the next year, when I thought I could rest, I was approached for the Area Governor position through incoming Division Governor Dulce. So yeah, she pulled me into her council because she knew I was capable of getting things done. So from Club President, my responsibilities grew to monitoring several clubs. This meant I had to club hop - but whenever I did, I would help them with their meetings too. This exposed me to differing styles, techniques, best practices... if you will, and I shared these with my other clubs.

Again, it was all about my wanting to help. You cound say that was my mantra... "I'm here to help" was always my message. It formed my leadership foundation.

Meet Beowulf

How about a warm welcome to our family's newest member - Beowulf, a German Shepherd.

Beowulf came into our lives some time July last year. He was born April 22, and was ffered for sale by his parent's breeders around his 2nd month. Barbie decided to get a dog, and she knew I had fond memories of Hunter, my first German Shepherd, whom she had the chance to meet when we weree still dating. Huner died when we were already married, and she saw how lovable - and proecive he was with me.

So Barbie seemed to want to help fulfill a void I had with all the dogs we were forced to exile to Cuenca, Batangas, due to some unreasonable appartment owners. Now, however, we had the possibiliy of having a dog with no pertering home owner telling us wha we could or could not have. Thus Barbie started seeking a Grman Shepherd puppy out in the market. I was non-commital, seeing how much these puppies were going for. Anyway, Babrie timed the puppy's delivery to our home while I was in Cebu. When I got home, he was waiting to greet me.

We enjoyed playing with him, but still needed to be cautious about is health; at least, until he had all his needed vaccination shots completed. Meanwhile, he continued growing. As of this writing, he's just weeks away from his irst birth year (in human terms anyway). He's become rowdy, but lovable. Energetically running wild one moment, then calmly ling beside you he next.

He insists on going with us whenever we leave the house, and in many cases where I'll just be driving to and from the house, I do bring im along. He's recently started riding shotgun, when Barbie isn't riding with me. At times, I suspect he probably loves to drive - but he's content with he window haldway down, feeling he wind on his face

Like it or not, I'll definitely look forward to years of companioinship with Beowulf. Family and friends who remember Hunter say Beowulf resembles him. Who knows? Maybe he has returned?

Either way, Welcome to the family Beowulf. Just be gentle with the cats. :D

Building a Winning Team (my journey with the District 75 Council)

Note: This entry was submitted as an article in the 2024-2025 District 75 DisCon souvenir program

by Butch Syyap Division N Director.

First of all, let me mention that before joining this year’s District Council as Division N’s Director, I had previously experienced the same role some 20+ years ago… yes, that long ago. I was then Division B’s Governor from 1999 to 2000. Don’t ask me if I remember things back then. It has been a long while. Let me, instead, share my experience with this year’s team.

At St Luke’s Toastmasters Charter presentation and Induction of Officers

Suffice it to say that most Division contests were done, and the Run-offs were about to happen. This was where I first talked to then-PQD Jot, who thanked me for joining the incoming team. Score one for the welcome wagon.

My first real experience working with the council was via the monthly District Council Zoom meeting, the one attended by both the incoming and outgoing council a turnover meeting.

It was a cordial, polite meeting. Everyone on the new team was eager to start. As I scanned their faces, I wondered who these other Toastmasters were. I did not join the DisCon in Davao last year – as it wasn’t exactly planned, and I still had two food businesses to oversee. Still, during the convention, I’m sure it was mentioned that I would be taking on the role of Division N Director, and I was getting messages from friends asking me if the talk was true. I was, after all, not officially part of the endorsed lineup of candidates - nor was I evn part of Dvision N. My candidacy announcement did come from the left field.

At Great Speakers are Made TMC – one of my first club visits as Division N director

Meanwhile, I was already involved in Division-led activities. A soft introduction to my being the next Director for Division N. You see, agreeing to be Division N’s Director happened a bit late in the nominations and qualifying rounds—that in itself can be another topic… for another time. I knew Director Dan Agapay of H, as we both worked ogether when he was an Area Director. Then there’s Director Victor Esguerra, the incoming Division B director, and whether he admits it or not, Victor and I were contemporaries in Div B.

I was also familiar with PQD Remy because I was one of the people who interviewed her for her candidacy for CGD two years back. The rest, I did not know. Direks Sucit, Jot, and the others were blanks. I had to rely on second-hand information about them (a.k.a. comments – or gossip, from whom I considered highly reliable sources) 😀

. I needed to get to know them, of course – Director Jonathan Miclat (for example) and I needed to coordinate the transfer of CITIBANK Toastmasters from Division L to Division N. All this had to happen while I was also busy getting familiar with the relatively new topography of Division N, which in itself underwent some streamlning.

So, what was my first impression of them? Direk Jot was enthusiastic! He projected an eagerness to get things going, and each District meeting came with an agenda we were to fill out – which helped us decide what to discuss.

The district team being sworn in

The team’s first real working session was, of course, the highly educational and enjoyable team-building events leading up to the District Turnover in Cebu. I was impressed by what seemed to be an organized district planning session, where I witnessed how each Division Director exhibited a passion for serving their respective divisions while learning about each other. Oh, and we did let certain inhibitions down – and we did it without imbibing alcohol. Imagine that.

Direk Remy was, as always, the epitome of the Energizer Bunny – eager, happy, and loud! Direk Sucit was cordial and approachable, and although she looked strong, she always had a friendly and happy demeanor. I was beginning to appreciate my colleagues. We even sang ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey, and found out some talents were worth keeping and others, worth sharing.

The succeeding monthly meetings always came with an agenda and template – we did not have to wonder what to report – everything was pointed out, given specific timetable concerns - just fill up the template.

These were our marching orders – but they never felt like ‘orders that needed to be done’ – things were approached from a ‘strengthening the Division and the members’ perspective. Once in a while, we would have a Division meeting with the PQD or CGD to align plans with District programs.

All these pointed to a Leadership team that knew what they were doing – and informing us of our role in what needed to be done.

Then there was the Club Officer’s Training – I was lucky to be chosen by District Trainer Law to be one of the speakers, and I eagerly covered the definition of roles for each Club officer – getting some boost from my recent experiences.

We worked closely with our Area Directors to promote attendance to both COTs rounds one and two. In round two, the Division Directors actively participated in a forum – sharing our experiences. I can safely say that this year was not your ordinary training style where so many seasoned Toastmasters felt compelled to attend with little room for growth. Kudos to the District Training team headed by Director Lawrence Co for coming up with the parallel paths to take – one for new Toastmasters and another for seasoned and grizzly Toastmasters.

The Toastmaster International Centennial Logo

We were also tasked with celebrating the Toastmasters Centennial, so we had activities and fellowship to make the year special. What was not formally known, however, was all the times we communicated with our counterpart Division Directors for differing reasons—exploring joint projects, induction suggestions, area and division contests, and even having a separate group chat to compare notes. All these culminated in a night of partying in Makati! As we supported and helped each other, the bonds grew stronger, and the District’s motto of Charge to Victory became a given for any activity we did.

The District Council proudly wears their Centennial shirts

Anything we would do was to strengthen the District. I could hardly count on one hand the times we had disagreements – but even then, we showed that we handled our discussions with Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. We walked the talk. This was highly evident when we were asked to participate in discussions for the District’s realignment. All in all – this is an experience I will cherish as we transition to a new set of leaders.

I would like to thank my fellow Division Directors, the District team—with special mention to Nicee, who has always been supportive—and, of course, our District Trio for showing the servant leadership traits we all should emulate. I thank everyone for the trust they have given us and sincerely hope we were able to lead Year 2024-2025 successfully. Even if we are done, we will surely keep in touch with each other. Our bonds have grown stronger from this year of shared experiences and challenges.

A council that’s all smiles. Proud camaraderie.

BTW, I cannot end without mentioning the perks and stuff we, ahem, earned: the Division Director pin – which I proudly wear in any Toastmasters activities a nameplate for more formal gatherings, and a necessary prop to help me when I mingle around and meet with others. a Charge to Victory cap for protection against the hot sun. A Centennial t-shirt, a Division Director dog tag, and a vest. And we may still get another shirt, based on rumors.

Serving as a District leader does have its perks.

On another personal note, this experience forced me to up my fashion wardrobe – I’m ever grateful to Shien for making clothes available in my size. 😀 The fiesta mood in the Turnover was wonderful, and I expect a repeat of the fun during our PASIGARBO DisCon – except now we… the team, will enjoy it more as we cap a wonderful working year that was.

Will we have a Merry Chirstmas? 2023 version.

Bluey seeming blue that we have no Christmas tree. 

 I guess it is appropriate that I restart this blog with this entry, as I had mentioned previous Christmas celebrations here.

Truth to tell... we still haven't put up our tree - just looking at our living area thats filled with a lot of stuff makes me wonder how we'll move things around as I prep the tree and set things up. It seems Herculean a task... and I'm not up to Hercules level of inspiration (yet).

We'll see... to get to that level I've been playing Christmas carols in YouTube almost every hour, everyday. Trying to get into the spirit of things. Why the seeming lethargic feeling? I don't know. Maybe its also because I'm not feeling 100% well - got aches on my right side that's been bothering me for days; making sleep a but difficult.

Family's okay, to say the least. Our kids' careers are great. Our businesses har a mixed bag though... something that we'll address soon. And we're getting opportunities to sell in other areas - promising ones at that. I'll introduce them in a separate entry.

 So why can't I find the spirit? Dunno... but I hope to do so, real soon.

Update: Novemebr 30, 11pm - still no tree. Am wondering if it'll be worth the effort to still set it up. Is the Christmas spirit, after all, lessened for lack of a tree? Or am I just making excuses? :D

Will We Have a Merry Chirstmas?

The start of September in the Philippines holds a 'special' calendar milestone for many of us. As it is the first month ending with the letters 'ber', it seems many use it as an unofficial start of the Christmas season. 

I know... Christmas is still a long ways - but for some reason, we can expect malls (at least during non-COVID times) to start selling Christmas themed items in at least one visible place in their stores. - and since Christmas trees are tall... they're definitely noticeable.  It doesn't end there. 

Few songs, and artists can claim a near claim to immortality in the collective culture - but some can. An example of this would be the triumphant musical tunes of Queen's 'We Are The Champions' during championship games - usually played by the triumphant team. Or Semisonic's Closing Time - a favorite for stores, malls and other establishments, signifying to overstaying patrons that they are, indeed, closing. One artist, however, can claim that not just one song - but several of his, start playing in malls when said 'unofficial Christmas milestone comes. 

I, of course, refer to Jose Mari Chan, whose songs of Christmas,, way back when his first Christmas album came out - served as a welcome change to Ray Conniff and Jackson 5 songs that used to be played just as much back then. His songs have passed the test of time... and they were pleasant to the ears back then. So Filipinos of several generations learned to sing them. Now, for some reason, Mr. Chan's face has been a constant meme appearing - not just as September arrived... but even, humorously reminding everyone that September nears... and with it, his presence once again in the airwaves; most malls piped-in music, and believe it or not, YouTube sharings on Facebook and other social media platforms.

This month, for the days of August 31, and September 1, even news media programs have, with some amusement, noticed this 'movement of memes' and dedicated some time to even reporting on it - including an interview with Jose Mari Chan showing his approval of such - so long as the memes were used to spread joy of Christmas. Imagine that.

One of his songs 'Christmas in Our Hearts' includes lyrics that goes 'Let's sing Merry Christmas; And a Happy Holidays!" as part of its catchy reprise. Back then, we hear the song, smile... maybe even quietly sing along - after all, if the song hasn't played for several months, it doesn't come across as tiresome (at least, not yet). It's half expected that we'd hear it... and some people even place bets on who'll last the longest before they finally hear the tune played.

Now, however, it seems many are looking to this song with a slight sense of hope. Will we really be singing a Merry Christmas time time around? Will we experience a Happy Holiday? What used to be an earworm of a song has suddenly shifted to a song for hope... hope out of this long bleak COVID experience.

Earlier on TV, BenHur Abalos, one of the Metro Manila Development Authority personalities, mentioned that he did some number crunching, and that he sees roughly over 85% of the population fully vaccinated - which means that by Christmas time this year, the Metro will have achieve the targeted vaccination goals to achieve Herd Immunity... and with that - finally, the long awaited opening of the city's shops, restaurants, malls... and not just with a reduced workforce at that. Hopefully, in the weeks leading to December, the economy will start recovering and pushing through with a vengeance.

People cooped up will want to go out, visit loved ones, see the great outdoors - depending, of course, on if said vacation place has also beaten the virus' spread. But many will have the itch to go out, shop - or window shop, and feel what has been denied them... the ability to enjoy reunions with friends, and family. Heck, if we celebrated Thanksgiving... this might have been one of the biggest reasons for celebrating it... with no fear of infecting loved ones with a deadly disease in the process.

Prior to that, of course, we will have the opportunity to mourn lost loves who recently fell to said virus. November 1 and 2 are usually set to commemorate our dead... it will give many a time to grieve properly. Then, we can all set that aside... and plan celebrating Christmas with everyone else. You can bet many malls and restaurants will welcome the businesses everyone will give... and many a people, willing to spend a bit more - to once again celebrate with love, life and laughter. 

But for now, we hope... that Jose Mari Chan's lyrics carry, not just hope... but this time, a prophecy of what Christmas 2021 will be like.

Addendum (9/4/21):

Yes, this is just a few days since I composed and posted the above... I had to add this as I observed apparently more than I mentioned. Yes,people started playing around with JMC memes, just as I thought so... heck, I myself, playfully posted two as a sort of countdown - but not added to it since September started.

Apparently, I totally forgot one platform,which seems to be making all the noise of these memes highly visible - allowing a voyeuristic and entertainment presentation to mix into the culture (if we can call it that) or movement that is Tik Tok (I don't even know if I spelled that right). After all, I will have to admit I had been dismissive of that social media platform. Hence, I most likely had blinders to the usage of it. Well... because of this available platform, so many people have uploaded - mostly funny videos themed in the JMC christmas idea. It's been in the news for two days - so obviously, it's been going around.

It also validates what I said... people simply needed an outlet, and making these video shorts is a way to release pent up frustrations? Share creative moments? Share a laugh? Or... most likely... all of the above. 

Who'd a thought? Certainly not me at that time. But yes... Tik Tok has added a new, expanded angle to sharing ideas. It makes anyone become a video creator. I've seen my wife use it to pick up a lot of ideas for quick cooking, or baking ideas. 

I had forgotten that it can also be a platform for entertainment. So... 'ber' months 2021... here's to having more entertaining Jose Mari Chan Christmas inspired videos.