Get it done yourself

There are things you can delegate and the people get the job done better than doing it yourself. Then there are the things you delegate but the people don’t seem make the effort to do it all.

Despite the reminders and agreements, some people have their reasons not to execute their end of the bargain. And the projects get stalled, or worse, fail.

It is important then to identify the show stoppers and take back the work. If you continue to wait for them, you’ll be digging a deeper grave for yourself. The longer the delay, the deeper it gets.

At this point, it is better that you work on it yourself. The project may still fail, but at least you are able to soften the blow and cut the losses. If you are lucky, the project has still a chance to succeed.

At the end of the project, it has a valuable lesson on the people whom you can trust in the future. Forgive, but never forget.

Deleting Inbox

Yesterday I deleted old emails. Some are almost 10 years ago.

Some emails are hard to let go. Like photographs, they are memories of the past. One email can tell a lot of stories.

Press releases. Media invites. Forward photos. Chat transcripts. Product inquiries. Project Updates. Scripts. Drafts.

But they have served their purpose already. It’s time to let go and to move on.

By deleting the old emails, I am preparing a lot of free space for new memories to be formed.

Rice by any other name is…

Juliet from the Shakespeare tragedy laments:

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”

I recently realized how Ilonggos have several ways to call it “rice”. Whether it is cooked or uncooked, one or many, we have a different word for “rice”.

If it’s a seed and there’s many of them, it’s called binhi.

If it’s not yet cooked and there’s many of them, it’s bugas.
If it’s just one, it’s pasi.

If it’s cooked and there’s many of them, it’s kan-on.
If it’s just one, it’s mum-ho.

If being cooked, it’s tinig-ang.
If undercooked, it’s lagdos.
If overcooked and burnt, it’s dukot.

And these words are just used in reference for rice. They cannot refer or describe anything else.

If only Juliet compared their names to a rice instead of a rose, then the story of Romeo and Juliet could have ended differently.

2019 Ipon Challenge

I like making an Ipon Challenge during the start of the year. For 2019, I will probably continue my “Invisible 50 Challenge”.

The Invisible 50 Challenge means saving all the 50 peso bills I get. So every time I receive a 50 peso bill, I make sure not to spend it. I would keep it once I get home. It sounds easy but it gets hard if the cashier gives you all 50s for a change. You’ll be forced to spend a few 50 peso bills.

In 2018, I was able to save enough to buy a Nintendo Switch using the Invisible 50 Challenge. It took us about 10 months to save about 20,000 so we can afford the gadget.

For next year, I don’t have a target amount to save. I don’t know where to use the money too. Probably, it will be used for one of our family travels for 2019.

A Pastoral Prayer

I was assigned to say the pastoral prayer at church for the Divine service program last month. It’s not my first time but this was my first time to compose the prayer with my own words. Previously, I would copy and paste prayers from other sources. This time, I thought to create one myself.

I got a lot of inspiration from the Book of Psalms and other books in the Bible. Pastoral prayers from other pastors also served as guidelines for this prayer.

Our gracious and loving heavenly Father. We come to you today with praise and adoration. Our hearts shout joyful praises to You. Our lips sing about the glory of your name. Our hands clap to your wonderful works.

We can’t see you O God, but you gave us Pure Light to witness your Creation.
We can’t feel you O God, but you gave us a Flowing Fountain to experience your Love.
We can’t touch you O God, but you gave us the Mighty Wind to carry the plea of our Voices.

Now hear our voice as we kneel before you and as we cry for help.
We are surrounded by suffering.
We are surrounded by pain.
We are surrounded by temptations.
We are surrounded by enemies.

We are overwhelmed by the troubles we face everyday.
We have been foolish.
We have been defiant.
And we have sinned.

Our eyes weep and our hearts bleed in shame for what we have done.
We cannot hide our sins from you.
And in this quiet moment, we individually confess our sins to you.

Save us, O God.
Save the students who struggle in school. Send us your wisdom.
Save the sick among us and those who are in pain. Send us your healing touch.
Save the families who struggle with money. Send us your rich blessings.
Save the relationships who are in conflict. Conflict among leaders, conflict among families, conflict among couples, conflict among parents and their children, and conflict among neighbors. Send us the peace and understanding to reconcile.
Save each and everyone of us.

Listen to our prayers, Lord.
Rescue us by your Saving Power.
Cleanse us with your Unblemished Blood.
Renew us through your Infinite Mercy.

We now have the victory over all our troubles, for You have won the battles against our enemies.

And with our new strength, we commit ourselves to serve You.
Send us in the great vineyard to help finish the work you have commissioned us to do.

And when the harvest is done, we will stand among the faithful who are ready to meet You on your Second Coming.

We finally pray for Pastor Bryan Tolentino as he brings Your message for us this morning. May the Holy Sprit prepare our hearts and minds for the Spiritual Food that will be served to us today.

These we humbly ask in the name of Jesus, Your Son and Our Savior, Amen.

Doctor’s Notice

My friend visited us yesterday. He is now a doctor.

I was having a bad case of diarrhea. My stomach was really painful. I feel bloated and I was in a gloomy mood.

I asked him how would I know if I am getting better or getting worse.

His reply was straightforward. “If you are still alive in three days, then you should still be OK.”

Today, is my second day of diarrhea.

I have one more day left.

Thank you, world.

Spotify Free vs Premium

I have been using Spotify. I love the selection of playlists where similar songs are being played one after the other.  I can select a playlist by Mood, by Artists, by Genre and even by Year.

But I have been using the Free option until now. I still don’t find the need to upgrade to a Premium account.

The big difference between the Free and the Premium is the presence of ads. Spotify would interrupt with its own ads or from an ad from a brand.

It does get annoying. It can be frustrating too.

But I grew up listening to radio stations where ads are part of the program. The ads can sometimes be longer than the songs itself.  The songs are not even to my liking. I have to be patient to hear a really good song. Or I can move the tuning several times.

So a few ads from Spotify doesn’t bother me. I am used to that. Choosing a playlist is already a treat. It feels like a premium service. I am not asking for more. That is why I keep them free.

There are many Products and Apps that offer premium service for a fee. But if I still find reasons to believe that the best things in life are those things that are Free.

Pass it on

I love reading books. But whenever I buy one I no longer keep them. Either I give them or lend them to someone else.

If I read a book and keep it, there is little chance that I will get the same book and read it again. I might never touch it again. It will just be on the shelf gathering dust.

But if I give it away or lend it to another reader, the book will have a new life.

The book has inspired me and it will inspire another.

Lucky is that book to have served its purpose more than once.

Cry

I want to cry. I want to let go of the disappointments and the frustrations.

But I have never really cried for a long time. Maybe because I have become stronger. Or I have already experienced my greatest pain. Now, it’s foolish to waste a tear.

There is really no happy person.
Just people who are strong to hide the pain.

I’m not ready for this

I just finished my shower in the gym. I was fixing my things and drying my feet when a younger man called my attention.

“Manong, imo na gamit ang nabilin?”

What?! He called me MA-NONG?

Manong means older brother. It’s a term we call our older brothers. But generally,  it can be used to respectfully address someone older than you.

If he called me nong, which is just a shortcut for manong, I won’t be bothered. I use it to any stranger.

Or since it’s a gym, maybe we can call each other pare, instead. Or ‘pre, migs, part. Even bro.

Yet, he chose to call me manong. As in MA-NONG!

And there was something in his voice, probably his tone, or maybe the way he carefully said every syllable that made me feel older than I already am.

Fine. I just turned 40. But I am not ready to be called manong by a stranger.