reflection

warning. gospel reflection. not for the faint of heart. lol



i mentioned previously of my conceit. proud peacock was one description in my high school yearbook. so exercising humility is a struggle. i hold my tongue when i want to brag about an achievement, a recognition, an acquisition. though sometimes, it would still slip out, and draw attention to itself.

today's gospel is the beautiful beatitudes. but as an important segue to that, st paul talks about how God chose the absurd, the dimwitted, the poor to shame the high and mighty. so if we must boast, they must boast only in the Lord.

boasting in the Lord. how would that go? my take on it: if there is anything i should be proud of, it is having been blessed with faith in Him. all others i should not boast about: looks, wealth, etc. because in the end, such things do not really matter.

the only thing that will matter, in the end, is that i have been chosen to be saved, to live a life with Him in the thereafter. that's the only thing i could bring with me beyond my grave.

proud ako kasi naniniwala at nananalig ako sa Diyos. dahil dito sa paniniwala ko, ang daming blessings na dumating sa buhay ko.

but beyond saying that, i should actually say

pero mas proud ako kasi dahil sa aking pananlig sa Diyos, kahit ano pa ang mangyaring di maganda sa buhay ko, etong faith ko ang magdadala sa akin upang malampasan ko ang aking mga pagsubok.

because I believe, because I have faith, I also have been blessed with a peace that no one can take away. i may lose everything tomorrow, all that i have and have worked for. but with that faith, i know, no, i am sure i will survive whatever tragedy.

my faith has given me spectacles to look at the attachments in my life with a paradoxical detachment. the negative feelings will pass through me and i will emerge more peaceful, yet again.

and this is what i should really be proud of!

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dipping my fingers yet again

it doesn't sound quite right in English. what i wanted to say was "makikisawsaw na naman ako sa post ng may post!". ill be reacting to this post "big bad blogger" by fellowfab mcvie. i gave the reference article a casual glance when i read it in the newspaper. but reading mcvie's take on it made me take a closer look.

my pov will just be limited to a marketing practitioner's perspective:

marketing firms are definitely putting much more resources into digital media, the brave new frontier of reaching out to the ever-elusive consumer. the statistics in the PH are very encouraging, though limited to certain demographics. however, there will remain to be issues on metrics and evaluation. so marketing firms still tread lightly.

nevertheless, enterpising techies have teamed up with creative people and have specialized on this new medium, capitalizing on the big agencies' limited competencies in digital media.

they dangle terms like search engine optimization as catch phrases in this new realm, telling us that they could find ways to increase website traffic, increase database or improve user profiling capabilities.

and part of the sales pitch will always talk about how they will influence blogging community favorably.

it was pretty crass of that agency to actually talk about having bloggers on its payroll. that in itself is a measure of its illegitimacy.

now the seemingly extortionist tactics mentioned in the inquirer article is even further proof of how mafia/yakuza-like they were made out to be. it just sounds a bit too cinematic for me.

should marketing firms, brands, business be afraid of bad reviews? well, to a certain extent, it should be. the big brands have the budgets to monitor the press, both traditional and online just to capture all the negative reviews and comments and handle it swiftly.

an oft-repeated quote in marketing. a satisfied customer tells two people of his experience. he tells five people of an unpleasant one.

having said that, it is also virtually impossible to handle each and every bad press you get. the idea is to filter and screen and choose which is worth any effort to address.

but as mcvie puts it, take care of the fundamentals of the other marketing P's: product, price and place (distribution). that will give the marketing firm a better handle on bad promotions or bad reviews that are contrived and actually baseless.

just my thoughts.

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pc's birthday

not so long ago, a cute little prince was born to a king amd queen in a land not so far away.

we are going to be celebrating his birthday. he dreads getting older! does that mean he finds jurassic me dreadful? lol first time for us to celebrate his birthday. ive planned something sweet and simple. shhh he doesnt know yet. overnight at a hotel by the bay. a short sunset cruise. and lots of cuddling and kissing under crisp linen sheets.

as i wait for him, my thoughts wander to my long list of exes and celebrations of their birthdays. i love the look of surprise as i present a gift. it thrills me no end to see the smile.

and now it's pc's heart-melting smile ill get to see...


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Thursdays with CC: Career paths

In my limited knowledge of HR and OD, there is this typical career path for employees. in whatever functional role (marketing, sales, accounting, IT, etc), the goal of moving up the ladder depends firstly on your mastery of the role's competencies. you build your expertise to become a better product manager, accountant, salesman, etc. then the opportunities start to funnel as you aim to be supervisor/manager of the unit. not all of you will become 'bisor'.

but if you aspire for the position, you will be evaluated on the basis of your technical expertise in the first place. and for some companies, such mastery is the only basis for promotion. you get promoted if you are the best of the lot in what you do.

then as supervisor/manager, you will realize that its whole new set of skills called "managerial" and "administrative"! and it has so little to do with your original craft or skills.

which is why most companies now do assessment of not only your techincal skills but more importantly, your leadership and managerial abilities.

in my years of being exposed to employees, i have seen that not everyone can become a good manager, a good leader. few actually do.

and that could be frustrating for a lot of young people who feel that their career has stagnated if they dont get the promotion.

i believe that line management should not be the only career path for people. and not making the cut, not getting that promotion does not mean you are less of an employee or a contributor.

i believe in a technical career path, an upward movement in the corporation based on sheer technical expertise and skill. more companies, i feel, are recognizing this and giving their employees the choice to pursue this path, and not just line management.

so even if you don't have the managerial skill or mindset needed, you can still grow with the company by being the best in your functional area. the end of such a path is something like the corporate expert and becoming "consultant" rather than "boss" or "manager". and that's still a major accomplishment.

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thoughts on an mgg post

dear fellowfab miggs recently posted this thoughtful letter from a straight female reader (!) she calls herself J. and a major part of her letter is about her girl friend's (two words) brother whom they suspect is gay. read the post first.

the letter got me thinking...

it is so natural for us to indulge in speculating about a person's sexual preference. it makes for good story-telling. until one become's the subject of speculation.

in those circles where i am not out yet, i remain the subject of speculation (or at least, i used to be. i guess im too 'confeeermed' to be speculated on. hehe). i hated the feeling. i felt so paranoid. i felt scrutinized, analyzed and dissected. then ultimately laughed at.

i felt like shouting to them to just stop. what business was it of theirs what my preference is? i wasnt doing them no harm. i just wanted them to leave me alone.

whether li'l brother is gay or not, maybe older sister and friend could lay off the speculation? i know how it feels to be in his shoes. and it is terrible.

of course, reader J has some very noble intentions. she gave her friend links to gay bloggers to give her a glimpse of gay life. to help her understand possibly what her li'l bro may be going through. but i want to tell her teasing him about his friend doesnt help! it will not make him disclose to her any more likely. he will feel alienated. and ridiculed. and that will just make him withdraw rather than open up.

sure, get to know more about the gay lifestyle. hang around some nice gay friends (like the fabcasters, LOL) but lay off the speculation and analysis. and just let him be. whether or not her brother turns out to be gay or not, it would do her well to have a variety of friends, including LGBT.

and besides, being gay is just one aspect of who we are. beyond being gay, we are also sons and brothers and friends and employees and bosses and athletes and writers... you get the point.

experience li'l brother by getting to know him for all he is. sexual preference is just one aspect of who he is.


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CC reviews: More for the Metrosexual Male

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yes, the metrosexual (so 90's) male is the demographic of the moment. a literal explosion of brands catering to male vanity. and it's about time!

rexona v8 deodorant

love the yellow-black color. stands out in a sea of navy blues, greys and blacks. when i first tried it, i thought the scent was great. but when i got home, i felt differently. but ive started to use it, and it actually does a better job as a deodorant than nivea for men. it certainly lasts longer. four out of five.

suave men deep cleaning shampoo

nothing special about the product. scent is ordinary. my biggest complaint: why is there no conditioner counterpart? did they think men didn't use conditioners?!? two out of five

palmolive naturals cool dude shampoo & conditioner

the shampoo-conditioner hybrid is controversial for hair experts. but i use it anyway for the gym. i just dont feel like carrying two bottles around. it is mentholated. smells cool and clean. and feels cool. but i see this product positioned for teen males. ill use it still. four of five.

vaseline men face wash

packaging is too close to nivea. ( hey nivea, arent you going to sue?) but, but, but i detest the scent. it smells like skin lotion (which is their heritage)! one out of five. im forced to finish the product, knowing how oc-oc i am.