Of Tsunami, Cars and Me

I recently started a new job. My recent random reflections.
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CALM BEFORE THE STORM (May 15, 2007)

Worst, Kuya Popoy (my JVP area supervisor) described it as Calm before TSUNAMI!

I've been in the office since 915AM although I was asked to come at around 930AM. Well I've been in the area since 7AM since my sister's car's coding and I decided to bring it with me. Today is my first day in this new job. I'll be working as a Program Development Officer monitoring sustainability efforts, resource management and communcation for Bindum, Bukidnon. Bindum, by the way was my JVP area in 2001-2002. Bindum is my 2nd home.

No one was in the office yet. Pedro (Fr. Peter Walpole, SJ), my boss, was still in Pangasinan. Sylvia was still out too, although she arrived around 11AM. Pedro's new Assistant had nothing for me except to read the website of APC (Apu Palamguwan Center). Sadly I know and have read all of the articles there so it wasn't really much of a help. And APC was my JVP area, I know far more than the history it has in its website.

Pedro was supposed to arrive at 230PM so we can meet, with Chona the APC Program Manager. We were to discuss details of my job description and line up deliverables for atleast the next month. There is so much to do.

He hasn't arrived yet. We called Pedro around 1Pm and he was still in Tarlac, that's about 2 hours away from Manila, without traffic. So I sit here, in front of my office computer bored but expecting tons of work later. I don't like this stillness, it's too quiet - it is too calm. It's scary. Maybe Kuya Popoy is right, what's coming might not just be a storm, but a huge tsunami out to get me.

What did I get myself into?!
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(May 17, 2007)

For some reason, I've always compared my life circustances with cars. Maybe because I've always loved cars and they are way cool metaphors.

So anyway, it was a Tsunami indeed! Kuya Popoy was right. After almost 6 hours of silence, calmness and boredom during my 1st day of work, came a load of work all for rush. The tasks thrown, although a bit expected, were overwhelming.

I know for a fact that one of the main reasons why I was offered this job is my background being a JVP in Bindum and my continued support for the school even after I left the area. No need for them to orient me with the history of the area, how things are going about, who are the people working in Malaybalay and in Bindum. I've always been sort of updated with how things are going in the area and I've never failed to visit atleast once a year. But this is going to be my job now and it entails more details and coordination so to be asked to do tons of things before the end of the week just isn't the same. Here it is - no time for orientation right now, files are here and there because no one really handled them before I got in, classes in the area are starting on Mon-May21, and my office computer doesn't have Microsoft OS yet and doesn't have programs just yet. Nge! It's crazy, so crazy I really wanted to cry yesterday with the number of things I needed to accomplish today.

I'm like a car. For 5 months I was parked in my safe world of freelancing. And now because things just can't wait for APC, from being parked I need to zoom out into the world fast. Without passing through 1st or 2nd gear, I need to speed up into 3rd and 4th gear. No room to be a "diesel," must be a gasoline running machine.But how does one do that really without the possibility of damaging ones transmission? I don't know. I just hope my transmission holds up because right now I ought to continue running at atleast 80kph.