Suspend-It

Now that I have deduced that it’s time to move on, I made a list of things to do before leaving my company. As with everything, it is very important that you plan things, and not just plan ahead, but plan all the way to the end.

Some of the action plan in my list may or may not be applicable to you, but I want to share it all the same:

1. Update your resume and post it in reputable job-finding sites online. If you already have target companies, then submit it there also. You cannot have one-too-many options. The more options, the better.
2. Ensure that you have a savings of at least three (3) months worth of your salary. You will need this in case your new dream company turns out to be one horrible nightmare you need to get out of asap. After all, you wouldn’t want to end up running tabs and depleting your prepaid credit cards.
3. Bid your time and wait for the nearest big bonus from your current company to add up to your savings. The higher your savings is, the more confident you will be in your decision to get out of your current company.
4. Lastly, before accepting a job offer, do in-depth research about the company you are considering. Check out forums discussing that company. It would be great if you can talk to several employees of that company for a background check as well. This will help save you from the regret of ever quitting your previous job.
5. Once you’ve found THE job for you, stay at it, do your best, and never look back.

Never begin anything until you have reflected what will be the end of it.

My employment in my current company is hanging on a very thin thread right now. And contrary to the usual layoffs rationale, in this case, I’m the one who’s planning to ditch my company. I’m just not happy.

However, I remember my friend JC telling me back then when I was losing hope in my career, you stay in the company for two things – you love your job and/or the pay is great. So long as you still have one of those, then stay. If both are gone, it’s time to move on.

At the moment, the pay is reasonable, but with my knowledge, training, and skills, I know I should be getting twice my current salary. Moreover, I just found out that I’m at the highest position I could ever attain in my current company. Consequently, there will never be a huge salary increase, nor will there be another step up in the corporate ladder.

It’s time to move on.

We had a meeting with the insurance guy a few days back for my parents health plan. While he was giving us a life insurance quote, we were having dinner at a really good seafood restaurant. My mom and dad went with me so they could discuss in depth what gets covered or not. Apparently my dad who has a heart problem is not covered by it till after one year. In one year, he get reevaluated.

My dad wasn’t really a junk eater. He doesn’t smoke and doesn’t event drink. His greatest enemy wasn’t even pork or beef – it’s his love for seafood with tons of salt.

So now, we’re watching his diet closely. Dad, please don’t sneak out food that’s not good for you…please.

My cousin Mary who works in an insurance advertising firm was discussing yoga with me while taking a good stroll around the park. It was a good saturday afternoon. The sun was up and about and we were getting our doze of vitamin D. Apparently, Mary has been taking these wheat grass shots and said that i should try it when we get back to her place which was a few blocks away from the park. She swears that she feels really rejuvinated ever since she started taking the wheat grass shots. I promised a healthier lifestyle this year. Might as well give it a go and see the benefits for myself.

It’s always good to develop a good habit when it comes to taking care of yourself. I have seen women who says they’re 34 but they look like in their late 40s. The reason is because they failed to give time and enough care for themselves. I have seen some who had been aging backwards. A good example is my sister’s mother-in-law.

That woman looks so effing hot in her early 50s. Men half her age would still look her way. Her skin is as smooth as porcelain and her body still got those killer curves when she was in her 20s (as seen from her photos). The secret ingredient were, according to her, eating fruits and or veggies in the morning and in the evening and sunscreen + moisturizer.

According to her the sun is getting too harsh on the skin so in order to keep it youthful, always use moisturizer like prototype 37c and sunscreen no matter how greasy they feel. Your skin would thank you 30 years from now by simply doing that regularly.

I may still be young but it’s not too early to start!

For women ages 23-33, especially those that are of marrying and child-bearing age and would like to have a baby soon, it is very essential that you include pap smear and transvaginal ultrasound in your routine. That’s aside from the usual selection of women’s vitamin and integration of regular exercise.

This is because based from studies, a lot of women, especially the sexually active ones, usually find out too late that they are at the late stages of cervical cancer. This could have easily been prevented had they only gone through the every six-months or once a year pap smear and a vaginal ultrasound.

Pap smear screening can identify potentially precancerous changes. And in developed countries, according to Wikipedia, “the widespread use of cervical screening programs has reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer by 50% or more.”

A transvaginal ultrasound, on the other hand, is very essential especially for those who are planning to have a baby. As described by Jennifer Gerics, “It is a diagnostic test which gives a magnified view of the cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes (if visible), the endometrial lining, and surrounding (adnexal) areas.

Transvaginal ultrasound is used to evaluate a variety of abnormalities of the female genital tract. Some of these include the endometrium of women with infertility problems or abnormal bleeding; sources of unexplained pain; congenital malformations of the uterus and ovaries; ovarian tumors and cysts; possible pelvic infection; and causes of infertility.”

Although those two aren’t your usual every-six months hygiene routine like your teeth-cleaning routine, integrating them into your health and hygiene yearly must-do routine can make a huge difference in your life. As always, prevention will ALWAYS be better than cure.

My sister Anne begged me to go to the mall with her to help her pick out a gift for her husband. While waiting for her at the mall, I absent-mindedly wound up checking out hair loss cure. I silently laughed because I know my sister’s husband is very hairy and won’t need that stuff. Then I remembered I still owe both of them my sworn statement for their marriage’s validity so she can migrate to her husband’s country.

I haven’t written anything significant in a while but I’m somewhat proud with what I’ve come up with just awhile ago and I’d like to share it with you (yes, I have omitted certain details to protect their identity. hehehe):

To Whom This May Concern:

This is to verify that I, XXX, Anne’s older sister, have known my sister’s husband, Sergio, since XXX. Anne and Sergio got married in last February 2010 and the affair is one of the most comic-romantic-scenic wedding I have been into.

My first encounter with Sergio was actually through the Internet. Yes, it is indeed amazing how Internet connects people. In this case, I must say that serendipity does exist online. My sister Anne fell in love with him online – through reading his blog updates and Facebook updates and of course, interacting via online chat.

Soon, Sergio was arranging for a week’s stay at our house which materialized last XXX. Right then and there, mushy as this may sound, I could literally feel the sparks and sweetness being thrown back and forth between them especially during the family dinners where Sergio joined us. The couple was actually too sweet to the point that I often wonder if I am in a middle of a Hollywood movie.

Sergio is what most parents would call a dream son-in-law. He’s very smart, respectful and responsible. He has a good sense of humor and easily got along with my family. Consequently, everyone liked him immediately.

When Sergio proposed to Anne last XXX, my parents did not hesitate in giving them their blessing and he was immediately welcomed to the family. The best thing about their marriage is that, when Sergio’s family came here for the wedding, we found that their family shares the same core values that we adhere to. Which makes their marriage a really match made in heaven!

Although their marriage may seem way too fast, when you find THE one, there is no such thing as time and the need to wait – you just know. And when you reach that point, you just have to grab it, or the moment can just passes you by. After all, as Ralph Waldo Emerson aptly said, “How much of human life is lost in waiting.” I am very happy that Anne and Sergio grabbed that opportunity and I know that their marriage will be like my parents’ – they will cherish their vows until the end.

I have been praying fervently for a work from home setup for the longest time now. Guess what? Early this month, our CEO gathered all the managers for a capacity resolution meeting. A lot of clients are expanding and there are just not enough seats available due to their quick expansion.

Consequently, I was included on the list of people who can work from home. Yipee! ^_^ It’s just what I need – some time to rethink about my work and what I want to do with my life. I almost filed for a one-week leave just to do that.

Now my ultimate work from home problem is this – how to avoid being excessively plump. Although apidex may be of help, but I need exercise as well. In fact, I crave for exercise. Hmmmm… I just might consider barre3 – where ballet barre meets yoga and pilates. I’ll just check the rates this week and see if it fits within my budget. Will keep you posted.

Last night I upgraded to the latest version of iTunes. Nothing seemed different in this new version, just the same boring interface as the previous version. Anyhow after the upgrade, I purchased a bunch of music titles and apps in the iTunes store then plugged in my iPod to sync. Then, the problem started.When I plugged my iPod, an error message popped up saying something like “SyncServer not working. Please reconnect device”. So that was what I did, reconnected the iPod but the same error message appeared. I got my brother’s iPod Touch to test if the same error will appear and yes, it too could not sync to iTunes.It seems like the current version of iTunes has some kind of a bug. Two of my ipods are not syncing so I guess this is enough proof. By the way I also tried reinstalling the older version of iTunes and there was no problem with the sync. So just a tip to you guys, DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR ITUNES!

Beauty is everything. That’s what everything and everyone around us thinks. Even television commercials show it.

With a society as obsessed with vanity as ours, aging is one of the biggest factors we want to avoid.

Thus the anti aging supplements came into existence. There are a lot of benefits and disadvantages to this, and that’s what this kind of society brings to us.

All I know is, I don’t want to be like the rest of the mummies who follow all this society’s norms. It’s just not healthy.