Looking Ahead

In one of our major classes, the professor talked about a phenomenon regarding organizational citizenship, or the lack of it in the working world in today’s generation of the workforce. Yuppies these days stay with a company for merely a few months to 3 years. I think 3 years would be stretching it these days. There was once a generation that stayed with organizations for decades… What does this say of companies these days? What does this say of the workforce of this generation?

Ever since money went scarce, I wanted a job with steady pay and benefits. A career or a job used to be something that I liked to do. Today, it’s what would give me enough financial stability to support myself and my mom. Hopefully, the two “job/career” perceptions would merge… These will if I get a job in public relations. Maybe in Shell or Unilab or Proctor & Gamble or Uniliver. As I said, highest bidder hahaha. It’s a dream… I still have to prove that I’m good enough. Scary thing about after graduation is that they arm you with theoretical knowledge but you really don’t know if you’re good enough for those top companies till you try out, get accepted or denied.

Well, if that doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll go for human resources… Maybe video/print production… If I’m lucky, I’ll probably try broadcasting or entertainment, but that’s a long shot.

In the end, it’s really the big bucks…

PARRRTEEEEYYY!!!

If there’s one thing I want to do after graduation, it’s parteeeyyy! Sad, I know. Some say college is the time to meet all the people you can and do all the fun stuff. It’s my fourth year in college and in all my four years, I only stayed for a few hours in a club (Temple in Greenbelt) for a birthday of a blockmate. Before that, I stepped into Ice just to check if there was space for me and my friends, was in and out in a few seconds. The only parties I’ve been to were ones here in the village, Merville.

Group of friends I grew up with are great. We take joy in hanging out and having drinks in each other’s houses. They’re actually going out in the world right now. Just the other week, they went salsa dancing. And sometime in July, they’re planning to go to Batangas. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go to Batangas. My only issue is money and permission from my mom and my brother. Imagine that, 21 and I still really can’t go out.

I can drive, but I can only drive alone in the village even if I have a license. I drove to Manila for a wedding once thought, with my boyfriend, but I was still with my boyfriend. I’ve been out of town but always under adult supervision. Well, even if relatives are taking care of tuition and allowance, I’m still living under my mom’s roof. I haven’t been able to contribute anything to the house. I’ve tried to, believe me, but the world keeps shutting me out.

I’ll get there, I guess… Out there, I mean. Out there where I can actually enjoy everything life and this world has to offer without the need to ask for permission or money from anyone. I just have to be patient and work my way out.

a place to call home!

Glass… Stone… Granite… A little dark wood… Smooth edges… Earthy... Minimalist… Lots of space… Black… White… Grey… Clean… Comfortable… Home!



It does seem like the “in” thing these days, but I’m drawn to the theme. My parents’ house, the house I live in right now, is quite eclectic—bad eclectic. Well, there’s nice eclectic where it’s a mix of different cultures and colors, but there’s something that ties everything together. Our house is a mix of artwork from different times, different artists, and different mediums from paintings to figurines. Heck, even the Christmas figurines aren’t kept. No two sets should stay in the same room, but they all do. We have so much stuff piled up from Chinese porcelain to exquisite stained glass figurines to Victorian glass designs. There’s just too much of everything.

Now, the whole house is basically shades of brown and white inside, but there’s this one wall of blocks of stone that are different shades of grey. It’s a nice wall, but definitely out of place. The bathroom upstairs is blue and white; it used to be beige and white. My brother painted his room downstairs blue and orange when he moved in. Talk about out of place!

As for organization, there’s a complete lack of it! My mom’s a packrat. She keeps everything from old magazines to used disposable utensils. Boy, you can just imagine what else she keeps! She kept all the display stuff from her old boutique. We have 2 sets of sofas in the living room, a huge Chinese chest that we haven’t opened nor used. I could go on forever… We should auction some of this stuff; however my mom doesn’t want to. She says she saved all of it so we can have them when we have our own houses. Our eldest sister lives in part of old Manila house our grandmother left our mom and her siblings—she got a rattan living room set, but that’s all. My other sister rents an apartment with husband and son. She doesn’t have anything from this house and refuses to get anything since it’s a small house. My brother lives with us… No one else to take from the stash, but me when it’s my turn to leave the house. Hey, my mom has really nice stuff… The only problem is things don’t go together… My house is just going to be simple.

vrooom vrooom!!!

Said it once and I’ll say it again… I HATE COMMUTING. I’ll be saving the hell out of the misery for a nice second-hand car. When I get to the 6 to 7-figure salary, I’ll go for a brand new sexy sleek car with a good engine under the hood. Maybe I’ll buy 3 cars… I can dream, can’t I? Hahaha

I’ve always wanted a shiny black sedan. We’ve never owned a black car before. We had a reddish brown Saporro, a gold Suzuki mini-van, a baby blue Galant, a white Corolla, and now a maroon Elantra. Now, forgive me if I can’t do the car enthusiast lingo, I plan to take a crash course on car mechanics after graduation. Hey, that way I’ll fix my own car and if I can’t I won’t be caught with my pants down by shops that would rather take advantage than actually fix my car. Anyway, the sexiest car we’ve owned so far is that ’98 Hyundai Elantra. One word to describe it: Macho! Love love love that car with its chinky lights and round edges except for the fact that it conks out every now and then.



If I had the money right now, I’ll buy a black Vios, round edges, digital meters and gauges, and a nice grill up front, like it’s smiling with braces. (Talk about personifying the car)

THing$ to buy with my first PAY check

Buttoned-down, long sleeved blouses
Slacks/Skirts
Pumps/Stilettos
Accessories
Jackets
Groceries, esp. Alcohol!!!

Practically everything I had to resist. Apart from a few items I bought myself, I never chose what went into my closet. I dealt with hand-me-downs and fashion faux pas when I gave up the cause of trying to look good, presentable in the least for 21 years now. It would be nice to choose my wardrobe for a change.

My mom buys stuff from a wet market outside our village. Rarely do we get to buy stuff from the supermarket. When we actually do go to the supermarket, there are some things I wanted but couldn’t pick up because it wasn’t a necessity and I wouldn’t be the one to pay for it if ever I did put it in the cart.

One thing I haven’t done ever is pick up bottles of alcohol to stock up for those need-to-wind-down nights from work. In the case of the first pay check, here’s to a bountiful year ahead!

Well, if ever the working world is not kind enough to grant me a big enough pay check, there is I can always buy one item at a time plus groceries of course.

Going once... Going twice... Sold!

Someone once told me that no one ever likes his first job. These days, I guess he was right. The nice jobs ask for experience, which a fresh grad never has. Always have to start off somewhere though, right?

I’m guessing I’m going to be for sale to the highest bidder after graduation. That’s assuming that there are bidders. Let’s face it, we all have needs. Money needed to pay for those needs gets harder and harder to find and/or make these days.

I have friends who stick to their crappy jobs because of the money. They wake up every morning dreading the day ahead. I also have friends who transfer jobs for bigger offers. They’re never satisfied. Who would be at the rate labor is going? It’s a sad phenomenon.

mOve oOout!!!

As a kid, I watched a lot of tv. Our mom never really liked Pinoy tv, so we watched tv shows in English. I got exposed to American culture at an early age and got attracted to a form of culture very different from our own. At 18, teens move out of their parents’ homes. At the age of 18, they’re practically adults and they begin their attempt at fending for themselves.

Our culture is totally opposite. Filipino parents would keep their offspring even when the latter starts their own family. They call this “strong family ties”. I believe that in most cases, keeping sons and daughters home keeps them dependent, especially when life is very comfortable.

When I was in grade school, I thought I’d move out when I turned 18 as well. I was too young to see the problem of living in another context. I turned 18 in my senior year of high school. If I lived in the US, I would’ve been able to get a job that would pay enough to cover rent, groceries, and maybe school. Here in the southeast, you won’t get a job with a mere high school diploma under your belt… So here I am, on last year in college, about to turn 22 and nothing to show for it yet, still living in my parents’ house. In 2 years time, hopefully, I will have been able to move out and rent an apartment with no financial help from my folks or anyone else. Hmmm… I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe I’ll get a roommie…