Giving is Glorious

Oh my!  I really love this friend of mine because she never fails to use her thinking cap to come up with unique gifts  this Christmas.  In fairness, she is known for her good fashion sense  and taste.   Last year, she gifted my family with a luxurious table lamp and this year it was outdone by giving us an ideal white faux fur throw which I’ve been wanting to own to complete the total look of our bedroom.   She might have known that lately our master’s bedroom had undergone  make-over and it was so sweet of her to put so much thought on her gifts.  For all I know, she purchased it on line at The White Company London where you will find wide array of luxurious, gorgeous and high quality bed linen collections that we all wanted to be around in our bedroom.

bed linen collection I raved about…. and got it as Christmas gift!

Such a coincidence that the bathroom mats and towels that I gave her were also purchased on the same on line store.   Does it mean, I have good taste too?

Kris Kringle is heard of during the joyous Christmas holidays and the traditional secret gift giving are done in schools, offices and within friends and family.   Actually we are not spared because we had started it last month with our officemates.  Every week our “baby”  receives something based on the theme of the week.    The baby referred to is the name of the person whom we had picked and it will be kept secret till the Revelation day which is on Christmas day.

This is the list of what I received:

• 1st week- Something sweet- I received a box of cube sugar
• 2nd week- Something long and hard – Barbecue stick
• 3rd week- Weird and funny – a keychain and a banana!?
• 4th week- Soft and round – a small round pillow and make up sponge

Truly, all of what I received seemed to be funny and boring but my ‘mommy” during the revelation day surprised me with a Swatch watch. She told me that on week 1 to 4, she purposely gave those things to test my patience and she had all it planned that she will give me something special on the day of revelation.  I was surprised and touch because it cost more than the agreed amount of gift to give.   And I love the watch…

It was  good of me, that I did not react or comment on how boring those gifts were because I still follow what my Mom told us when it comes to receiving gifts that we don’t expect or like at all.  She told us to exercise the following traits:

• Kindness
• Patience
• Happiness
• Manners

And I was sure glad to have applied the above, because I received what I never expected in the end.

An enterprising uncle, who wanted to invest in foreclosure properties, has no difficulty finding a property which his keen mind and sharp eyes wants.   He relied heavily on Free Foreclosures listing that offer him choice properties and that it always give him good deal in real estates.

He’s been into property hunting lately when he chanced upon the precious  house of a good friend who loses heavily on his casino gambling and that his life turned into a miserable mess.   His properties have been foreclosed which made him really depressed over the strings of bad luck brought about by his uncontrolled vices.  His relationship with his wife soured, the children got affected and all his financial obligations and continued on until he got a notice for foreclosure.  He wanted so much to recoup the home because he invested a lot into his home but it is not possible unless he iron out the many creases in his life.   

Free Foreclosure listing had a vast array of good properties to offer and that anybody find it easier search properties and to deal and negotiate with their office.   It I am not surprised at all that my uncle became a regular and satisfied client because of his gain and the good services provided him and to top it all it is easier and free!  What can you ask for?

 However, sometimes I feel so sorry for other’s misfortune and how I wish my uncle Ted also felt the same and would not take advantage of the situation.  

Oh well, life!

Our Family Sportsfest finally opened last Thursday!  It was postponed twice because of unavailability of venue so when Mr. Ronnie, the school coordinator called me up offering the venue for half a day use, I readily said yes, not thinking that the timing will be from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm only.  I just decided it upon myself and grabbed the slot right away because we might lose that elusive opportunity to use it.    I then hurriedly called for a meeting with the Sports working Committee to prepare for the Opening Ceremony.  The program was drafted rushly, discussed on how to go about the ceremony.  One thing we agreed and to emphasize to all the members to come promptly.  Because if we will start the parade behind the scheduled time, without any doubt, the  whole proceedings will be dragged and we don’t want to let those precious time tick away just waiting for others.  We made it clear, at 7:00 am sharp, the parade of colors will start!

Thursday, we were not expecting the 100% attendance at 6:00 am but the members began to swell in numbers around 7:00 am just before the parade starts.   Members came with their children who obviously are still sleepy but looked very excited.  It was a colorful activity  with all 6 colors- green, yellow, blue, black, blue and white teams that eagerly participated and loudly yelled out their team chants.

After the short program, we continued to the the first game which is Fun Basketball for Ladies.  The team was composed of 5 participants who did free throw shooting and the team which had the most numbers of balls shot in 60 seconds wins.     All of us, obviously need to do practice shooting  because most of our balls only reached halfway the ring.   My white team won second place- thanks to our team mate who earned 3 scores.  I only contributed 1 successful shot but I know it was only a lucky chance!   The next game was Badminton but due to our restricted time till 1 pm,  the teams only had one game each and to continue this weekend.

Overall, it was such a happy event, we were able to relax and enjoyed  family bonding time.  However, the next day, I can hardly get up from my bed, I was aching all over.. too sore muscles… Initially, I took pain reliever and rubbed on some mint oil on my body hoping the aches will  be gone in a day or two.

The happy face turned into a sad face when I called off sick in the office.

One of the most important assets of every business is their employees or staff. They are the ones spending long hours for the business to be productive and earn profit for the benefit of the employer. In fact, they even spend longer time at work than with their families.

This only indicates that the role of every employee in a certain company is extremely important in the performance of the business. This is the reason why every employer should always make sure that their team will receive appropriate incentives and assistance aside from the monthly salary that they get. One of the most important things here is the insurance for the safety of the employees especially with regard to health and medication. They also have to take into considerations that workplace accident may occur at any possible time and place.

At any given circumstances, all employers should ensure the safety of their team. They should be given training for safety measures that they have to do whenever they are in the vicinity of their workplace. Accidents may not be controllable but we can definitely lessen the risk by providing them safety gadgets or equipment that can prevent them from injuries that can sometimes be a life changing experience. No matter how minor the accident may be, victims will always have the right to be given proper attention, treatment and financial support especially if the employer was found to be the one responsible for the accident due to low maintenance of the facilities, which is why, investigation is a very important procedure.

And as for the employees, they are also responsible for their own safety. They should be disciplined enough to follow every safety rules and regulations implemented in their company. Likewise, they should be more observant with their surroundings so that in any case that there are things needed to be fixed of developed, they can seek the help of their supervisor or employer to provide attention for the development and improvement of the company. Asking assistance can be a great help especially if you are new to a certain thing. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help specifically if your safety is at risk.

Remember that every accident can be very expensive to both employees and employers so it’s better if it can be prevented as early as possible. And when such workplace accidents occur, always make sure that you make a record of it immediately to the extent of scrutinizing every detail of what happened, how it happened and who are the people involved and affected so as to secure measures in preventing it from happening again. Most companies now seek help to solicitors or attorneys who provide front-end solutions to help them retrieve and resolve issues that may result to big troubles that might affect the company’s reputation and production itself. In addition, it also helps them in saving money during the compliance with the medication of the victim, which will then lead to an appropriate medication and care to the victim. It is efficient in both ways that’s why most companies now are encouraged to invest with this kind of security and help.

Nevertheless, it’s not a guarantee that even if employees follow every step learned from training and they practice all the rules and regulations implied, there will still be chances that accidents will occur. Awareness can be the key so learn to observe with all the things that surround you. Be the voice of your team and speak for the safety of each employee, after all, everyone deserves to be properly compensated no matter how much you contributed in the business.

When an enterprising cousin decides on something, expect her to do her utmost best!  Operating and running a big and sophisticated hospital in the city seemed to be a very ambitious dream but it became a reality when finally, a general hospital in memory of her mom opened last year.   She needs  to treasure her share of inheritance by pouring her heart into her business and making good at it.  So for almost a year that  I haven’t seen her,  most of us her relatives,  wondered  how she works at the top, how her meeting is  like and her earnings.   Some even commented that she appeared untouchable or unreachable.    ”Lady luck” seemingly had not left her side from then on.

When cornered one time by an elder relative who too owns a Maternity hospital, she unselfishly shared the “secret” behind her success.   She was quick to share that even though she and her sister did not made  it through their careers in Medicine, because they opted to pursue Business Administration studies and earned a degree tucked on their sleeves, nonetheless, their medical frustrations were fulfilled by the hospital business they both  loved so much.   Initially, she started with a dozen high caliber nurses from Soliant Healthcare staffing agency and  an obviously extremely satisfied client that she is, her hospital is presently staffed by health care professionals of various discipline from the agency.

Undeniably successful, Therese showed up in a chauffeured -driven limo to a family reunion we had last week!  While waiting for her, we can’t help but talked about  how prestigious her hospital is,  citing  patient’s testimonies about the exceptional services provided by qualified and conscientious staff  under her Administration.

An aunt was quick to get her endorsement to Soliant Health.  It seems that she too is going to give her Maternity hospital a much needed facelift and it will start with her staff.

Some  people can be so lucky with their careers!  I will wait for my turn… soon….

My husband and I were helpless  upon hearing that my daughter was “held up” the other day.  Our initial reaction was to run fast to her rescue but it is impossible because of the distance.  As our daughter recounted, it was  7:00 am on her way to school when she alighted from the train and was about to leave the Light Railway Train station in Recto Avenue, Manila when two men apparently followed her and poked an icepick on her side and demanded for her Samsung Galaxy cellphone.  Since, we had repeatedly told them in the event of hold up, hand what is demanded to avoid further harm. And she did…

Thankfully, she was not harmed but she was traumatized by the experience.  But still,  I told her that she was partly to blame because we’ve been reminding them not to use their cellphone in public places knowing that high end cellphones are very “hot” items.   Those lawless men know how to spot expensive gadgets and my daughter when her phone rang, answered it, thereby, exposing it to public view much so to the hold uppers.  And that was it…

It would be no cellphone days for her… I don’t know if we will replace it soon because it was only 3 months old when her Dad gifted her the Galaxy phone  last June  to replace the Nokia brand which was stolen during a swimming party with her HS friends.

Who would not take interest on high end brand of cellphones?

my daughter will surely miss this Samsung Galaxy phone

Nokia phone stolen too!

Times are really hard…  What to do but to hope and pray that no similar incident will happen again to our daughter and pray for those men who took the cellphone.   Bless their souls…

I need a well deserved break after our successful Cardiovascular conference held in Marriott Hotel last Wednesday.  A long sigh of relief that all we can mutter and I will pat my back for being able to pull through all the hassles and pressures in preparing for the conference.  My task was to arrange invitation, visa, hotel accommodation, transport of International speakers and it was no a mean feat!  It was really a stressful work of communication and coordination that, there was a time I had a row over some speaker issues with one colleague.   However, both of us were both quick to say sorry realizing that stress has gotten into our nerves.

All the hard work paid off, everybody were all praises and well, we received a handsome bonus for what they said ” a job well done”.  Since my vacation will be this December, I would really love to try that “spa experience” which my friend was raving about.  Since I was really bent with the conference preparation, I did not pay much attention to all her stories about her recent vacation.   But she tagged me a picture and it was only last night that I was able to check on it.

My next mission is find out the place.   Interesting and intriguing!  Hubby said he wanted to try this primitive or local version of spa.

Whew!  This will be an experience!

True! Hubby is upset!  Who wouldn’t if one is already geared up and ready for work out only to find out that the electronic treadmill is not working?  He wondered why there was no power though he checked on it  many times, plugged it on and off.  He was evidently getting irritated and impatient figuring out why all of a sudden it was  out of service,when he had just used it few days back.

Hubby was busy tinkering with the power supply while I was also busily thinking of reasons on the sideline.  He was silent but I bet he already knew who caused the problem.   It was only the me and him in the house and who else would he suspect?   Alright, it was me!  But for some reasons I hesitated telling him beforehand that I had mistakenly plugged the 110 V to 220 V.   The machine sparked and that was it!     I was actually looking for a chance to break the sorry fate of the treadmill and thought of telling it this week end but it came too early that he found the problem.   Funny, but I was like a small child trying to cover up the whole story!

So, a technician was called.  The motherboard was found burned and need to be replaced.  For the meantime, what else can I do but do my stretching and jogging in place while the treadmill is awaiting repair.  And hubby understandably got lazy to work out.  He too is out of service… lol.

Oh dear.. it was all my fault!