Category: Work and Career

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Weekend Story: Work, Work, Work…

I had a work weekend while the hubby spent his doing the things he loves most — biking, getting online, doing the laundry, eating, and sleeping. I have no regrets, though, because work is work. It’s something you do because once upon a time, you signed your contract and committed yourself to it in exchange for money and career advancement. If your job happens to be something you love doing, then consider yourself lucky (I know I am!).

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workplace

So, the hubby and I weren’t able to go home in Bacoor. I went to work on both days (Saturday and Sunday) as we had a big event we needed to be very prepared for. The event happened on Sunday morning at 10AM which was actually a gathering of the highest ranking officials in the country, members of the diplomatic corps, and people from the civil society to celebrate the 118th Philippine Independence Day. The event turned out to be a success.

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Early Retirement Goal

If I had a choice, I would be a stay-at-home wife. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. I also love the idea of working to earn a living. It’s just that the idea of homemaking and doing a plethora of things on the side at my own pace seems very appealing to me. (I say the lesser pressure from the outside world, the better!) And I can only do all that by quitting work. But the question is, am I ready for it? Am I ready to give up my job –my primary source of income– at this time? The answer is a big NO.

retirement
Image Source: http://www.gijobs.com/plan-retirement-civilian-world/

That’s why making an early retirement goal sounds like a great idea to me right now. I used to imagine myself retiring at age 45 but recently, I have decided to move it to age 50 (that’s exactly 19 years from now). I would still be young and healthy (I guess) by then and my savings and investments should be enough to tide me over until I start receiving my GSIS pension 15 years after at age 65. (That is, if I could complete the required 15 years of government service as I’m still on my 10th at present.)

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My Brother is Now a Public School Teacher!

“All our dreams can come true,
if we have the courage to pursue them.”
~Walt Disney

Allow me to be a proud sister for a day. I’m just sooooo happy and swelling with pride and gratitude because my 26-year old brother has finally realized his dream of becoming a public school teacher. He is now a certified TLE-VOC teacher at a public high school here in Manila. God is truly great!

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On Making Checklists

I used to rely on my sharp memory in getting tasks done. I noticed, though, that as I get older, my memory gets poorer and poorer and my attention span, shorter and shorter. This is where to-do lists or better yet, checklists, come in handy.

Checklist
Image Source: http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/pre-healthtimeline

My work in the office requires me to remember things. Part of my job is doing secretarial tasks for my boss (EA lang ang peg!) which means I need to take note of her many commands and requests. In order to deliver outputs and reduce failures, I’ve thought of listing down the tasks I need to finish, from the urgent ones to those with flexible deadlines.

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Dealing with Busyness

January and June are the two toxic months at my workplace. We normally have big events lined up during these times and so our butts are anything but still. I love my job, alright, but I tend to dread the arrival of January and June every year.

Dealing with busyness is not my forte. I hate cramming and beating deadlines. I remember I used to get freelance work from various sources (e.g. oDesk, freelance contractors, ad networks, blogger friends, etc.) but after some time, I stopped. (I delivered on all my commitments, though, because I firmly believe in professionalism.) I guess I got tired of pressuring myself to earn more money when I value my “me” time so much and I’m more productive working at my own pace.

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Weekend Story: Fun Saturday and Productive Sunday

Last weekend was spent entirely in Manila. The hubby had classes on Saturday and I had to go to work yesterday so we ditched the idea of spending the weekend in Bacoor. It turned out to be a good decision because we had ample time to spend with our respective families.

On Saturday, while the hubby was getting to know his new teachers and classmates at the university (read: first day of classes), I crossed the street and went to my siblings’ place to bond with my family.

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