Curbside Stories

I was writing my schedule for November and while doing so, I feel so overwhelmed at how busy I will be in the remaining months of 2012. I am glad that my monthly planner has inspirational and motivational quotes to remind me that being busy means more blessings and more opportunities to serve.  And this quote is indeed true: doubters will not achieve any, don't expect skeptics to contribute something and cynics will not create but instead ruin you and your relationship with others.

Another proud moment for me... my son was champion in the 25-meter sprint and 50-meter relay during their sports fest in school. When my sister asked me to train him to sprint, I was kind of hesitant knowing that he had previous leg fracture from a motorcycle accident. I was thinking his bone is not yet fully healed and he might tumble and cause it to break again. I asked my sister to join him in other sports, volleyball perhaps, since he likes to play it too, but not in sprint. I am just a paranoid mom. Anyway, he ran and he did not injure himself... he even brought home two gold medals so I guess there is nothing to worry about anymore. I am sensing an Olympian in the making and in whatever sport he will pursue, I will support him all the way.

Do you know this symbol? It is the mocking jay from Suzanne Collins' famous book The Hunger Games. And you probably already know that this is the symbol of Katniss Everdeen --the girl on fire, the hero of the story. This book is not really mine. An office mate just had me borrow this in exchange of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol  that I bought a few months ago. I have seen this movie and I am hoping a part two will be shown soon. And while part 2 is still in the making, I might as well re-live the scenes of the breakout movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, through this book.

The receiving area at the lobby. It is very homey and not intimidating compared to other hotel lobbies. I went to Hotel Kimberly in Tagaytay City to check out their conference room. We will have a seminar next week and ocular inspection is vital in preparing the team building activities. Here are some of the shots I took using iPhone 4S and Instagram filters.

"The greatest tragedy is that while most managers, supervisors, and colleagues genuinely appreciate the people with whom they work, they often neglect to verbally express that appreciation." "While character traits are not easily observable as specific accomplishments, they are in the long run far more important to an organization." "If words of affirmation are to be most effective, they must be given in the context of a positive, healthy relationship." Source: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman

I went home from the office with severe headache. I know it is caused by the tremendous stress because of this day's activities. At home, my son would ask a lot of questions, whine here and there about a lot of things... The noise was just unbearable. I felt like my head will blow into pieces any moment. I asked my son to do his things and not bother me even for just a few minutes. I really needed some time alone and quiet... That's what he did. He gave me a soothing head massage. It surely relieved me of headache.

I was lucky to have these two books borrowed from my boss. She reads a lot and she is not selfish in sharing her new knowledge and learning to us. She actually showed us five books that she bought in SM Mall of Asia but these two really caught my attention. The first book is entitled The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day  by John C. Maxwell. It is actually a devotional book that will hopefully inspire a manager to be a leader or a leader to be a better one. This book is a supplement to the author's book entitled The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership .  The second book is The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace  by Gary Chapman and Paul White. It is about helping organizations to empower their people through encouragement. It generally discusses the ways on how managers and leaders should properly appreciate the efforts of their human resource and why appreciation is a good form of investment. What have you read so far? Can you recommend ...

A great marketer knows that one way to attract customers is to excite and exhilarate them. But do you know how? Attend this seminar to find out! Register Now!

I took this photo at Mall of Asia Baywalk. That is the MOA Eye, the highest ferris wheel in the  Philippines.

While trust is the foundation of a relationship, trust is built on character and credibility. Trust is hard to earn but the good news is, it can also be regained. I got this quotation from Stephen R. Covey's book The Speed of Trust and I think everyone should practice humility. I constantly remind my staff to be humble. Whatever achievement our department has earned, it is because we work as a team. Humility is not a sign of weakness but in fact it is the courage to control oneself of gloat and self exaltation. 

My son ranked top 2 in class and I promised him that I will treat him out this weekend... which I did. And here he is, all smiles for the yummy dinner and fun rides at Mall of Asia Baywalk. TGIF! We did not ride the MOA Eye--the highest ferris wheel in the country--instead we indulged in bump cars... I was not able to take pictures because, well, I was so busy driving and bumping. A brief rest  to recharge energy... the crowd is watching mimes perform. My son's first attempt to ride a mini motorbike... FAIL! At least he got this cute photo as a souvenir. Better luck next time my little wormy worm. My little volleyball protege sweated it all out this morning. We played until we got hungry... so much for exercise. We went to a children's party this afternoon and he was game to have face paint. He said he wanted something Halloween. While other kids want anime and superheroes, he wanted to look eccentric... and this is what he got... a tiger face pa...

This is penne pasta in creamy white sauce with bacon bits. My grandmother cooked this the other day for dinner. It was so delicious, I think I had two servings. Haha! I simply can't resist bacon, cheese and pasta... the three are the perfect guilty pleasures. This is chicken pesto pasta with toasted wheat bread at Coffee Floats--a coffee shop near the university where I am currently taking up MBA. My group mates for the marketing plan decided to discuss our paper in the coffee shop because they have a free Wi-Fi access and the place is conducive for private talks and relaxation. Eating this pasta made me feel I was in Italy. 

Sinigang na hipon (shrimp in tamarind broth). I just had a sumptuous dinner with my family for the advance birthday celebration of my niece who will turn 12 next week. We ate crispy lechon kare-kare, lechon kawali, sinigang na hipon and spicy sizzling squid. Yummy! It is true that food brings the family together.  Spicy sizzling squid. Crispy Pork Kare-Kare (crispy pork in peanut sauce). Lechon Kawali.