What your HR officer wont tell you

MY BLOG IS ALIVE!

GOD, JUST FELT SO GOOD TO WRITE AGAIN.

Not smart, but I just had to :)

I am about to leave this company where I'm currently working at and it is bittersweet that I will do it because this has been my third HR stint and probably my last, because I am shifting into a new field in a couple of months. Just like any other relationship, working here and in my previous HR jobs has had many ups and downs but the definite, irrevocable, big time up is how much I've learned. So before I leave to venture off into another world of my career I am not yet sure of, I decided to write a post that pays homage to the three biggest gems of knowledge I have gained so far.

*Disclaimer: I came up with this on my own, it's your call to believe a thing or two that I say.

1. Employees live for the moment, Employers look at the bigger picture.

You can give employees full board meals, top of the line HMO, unlimited coffee, a gazillion leave credits but the moment they get a memo, they will probably talk back. As a former General Manager I knew said, you cannot teach people how to feel. Hence, as with any other relationship, some people are not able to bounce back from a tragedy or bad moment, so even if they've like their job so far, if they can risk losing the job or being a bad apple, they will do it.

Employers, on the other hand, look at employees as a puzzle piece and how you affect or will affect the company and everybody else as a whole. You can be a total ass but if the boss feels like you generate a lot more money than your peers, he's more likely to keep you. Another example is that, you can say that a Christmas basket costs only a hundred bucks but multiply that to a hundred employees and it's a small fortune.

LESSON: As an employee, don't make decisions when you're upset and always work the extra mile because though you don't feel like it, your boss sees that. 

2. Employment is all about gain versus loss.

My boss phrases it as rubber band- it's all about which pulls you more. Whether you're an employer or an employee, your decision gravitate toward your priorities, whether you realize it or not.

Funny thing is, from an employee's perspective, I believe that even though we work, the actual work we do has very little to do with our sense of fulfillment about doing it and has more to do with the intricate and complex things surrounding it such as the salary, the people we work with, etc, etc. In that case, that intricate mix, I believe has more to do with our stay in a job.

In my case, for example, I taught for a year but didnt really enjoy it because of 1)the salary and 2)the horrible, horrible boss I had. I mean the kind that makes you rethink going to work every.freaking.day. So even though I liked my kids, I decided to leave. 

3. In as much as Employees market themselves, Employers market themselves too.

If you apply in a company wherein their comfort room stinks or the receiving area is very very dim, or you saw an employee blatantly opening NSFW websites, run the first chance you get.

As an applicant, your thinking is that there are a dozen other applicants vying for the same position as you so you play your A game and bring everything to the table.Right?

However, hasn't it occurred to you that the Employer should be doing the same? True, you have to impress them about your credentials but in the same way, you, as the employee, are promising them a portion of your lifetime to generate income for their company and improve or contribute to the success of the business. Hence, if at the onset, the company, or any portion of it doesn't "feel right", don't be afraid to say no and look elsewhere. Because employers work on these deals without you knowing and of course not saying it point-blank, so a company that fails to impress you on your application process might not do so ever.

Hope all this chitchat was helpful one way or the other, and I hope for my own sanity, that I'll be able to blog much much sooner at shorter intervals. Ciao!

Philippine Travel Tax Exemption for infants and minors

Dunno how many people know about this but minors are discounted and infants exempted from paying Philippine travel tax. Philippine travel tax is paid by Filipino residents who wish to travel abroad and by certain Foreign nationals. 

I actually came across this fact because of hours of googling details of our upcoming Malaysia trip and hence, ways to cut back expenses. Travel tax for passengers 12 and up is 1610 and it was such a waste to pay that amount for an toddler.

I was afraid the process would take a long time so I got the certificate yesterday since the in-laws house was only a few minutes away from the airport :). I was worried over nothing because the whole thing was done in less than 5 five minutes! Took longer to walk from the parking lot to the counter! Hahaha.. So here goes:

* Minors below 2 years old are exempted from paying travel tax provided they have the certificate, which u can get at the airport.
*You can process it at the airport directly or in their head office in Makati near Makati cinema square, if you frequent that area.

* Children 2-12 pay the discounted travel tax of 800 or 810(sorry cant remember) so you still have a discount of 600 or so

*  Based on our experience last 2012 when my youngest sister was only 12, they dont tell you to process it automatically so you have to make the initiative to do it.

*Age at the time of travel is the basis for the discount. In Reese's case, since he will only be One year and 10 months by the time we use the certificate, full exemption still applies to him.

* If, like me, you're worried that it'll eat up a lot of time on your departure date, you can process it ahead of time because it's valid for a year from the time of issue, for one time use only, meaning you have to surrender it and get a new one the next time you travel.

So here's the eezy breezy process to getting the certificate( we processed it at the airport):

1. Line up in counter 1 of the Travel tax counter and give the minor's passport. They will photocopy it and it will serve as the order of payment. Proceed to counter 2.

2. Pay the certificate fee of 200. Fee is 200 per certificate, so if there is more than one person availing of the discount or exemption, cough up more. 

3.Proceed to "Counter 3" (there was no counter 3 label, just a note saying "no payment here"

4. Voila! You get your coupon to a thousand bucks savings. Hahaha

Hope this helps and I would like to commend the employees of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority for their prompt service.

Ciao and until the next bubble pops and(becomes complete), the operative word being complete since I have a ton of unfinished posts. Hehehehe.. Laters, Baby!

Gullain-Barre Syndrome and your role as parents

And the blogging backlog continues! :P

I was all set on writing an entry about all things mushy about our recent ordeal six months ago but I realized that it aint gonna help anybody but myself. Writing about mushy things would help me vent out the emotional pain I experienced while Reese was in a hospital. Meanwhile, writing about our experience on the actual disease could and might help others, so here I am, telling you about it.

I wouldn't go all technical about the disease because you can read that elsewhere from people who are more qualified to tell you about it but here are our personal notes about things that we(hubby and I) think might have played a part or symptoms regarding his disease.

1. Medical staff just refuse to give babies vaccines when they are sick but they fail to highlight that vaccines can actual make them prone to be sick.

GBS usually stems from cough and in Reese's case, we believe he had a cough because he had immunization two days before we went swimming, and the combination of the two contributed to him being sick. Sure, you can say that the fault remains with us in allowing him to swim (which we believe caused his cough) but still, I think the vaccine made his immune system weaker. So the questions linger in my mind: What if we waited in giving him the vaccine? What if we didnt let him swim too long? For now these are all what ifs, but to those of you who are only about to have their children's immunization, it can spell a world of difference.

2. Doctors are brilliant people but they are people nonetheless, so they can make mistakes and their mistakes can be graver given the nature of their work.

Reese's pedia diagnosed him to be dehydrated and we couldn't blame him- his lips were dry and chapped, he didnt have energy, his face was drooping. He recommended for Reese to do oral rehydration without requesting for a test confirming his electrolyte level. We followed his recommendation for three days and when Reese didnt improve, we were advised to go to a different hospital. Nonetheless, always be vigilant about the doctor's course of action and dont hesitate to ask if you feel like something is not right.

3. Do not second guess your instinct as a parent. Do what you feel is best for your child.
From the time that Reese's symptoms started to get worse, Arnold and I couldnt decide on what to do-whether to bring him to the doctor immediately, to wait out a few days, to self medicate and so on. After that, we promised to each other that we would never second guess again and bring him to the hospital once symptoms to any sort of disease become evident. Their symptoms worsen very quickly but in the same they also recover very fast so the best way is to diagnose diseases early so they can be addressed as soon as possible.

Like I have said time and again, Reese having had GBS was the hardest ordeal we had to go through and we wish that in as much as we can(given our limited resources), we can share our experience to ensure that fewer and fewer people will deal with this disease. We are happy to say that Reese has surpassed the doctor's projections that he will be able to walk again within 6 months-1 year after his hospitalization, because he was able to do it in four months. 

He lost a lot of weight then but he is literally back on his feet and bubblier than ever :)

I hope these bits of info help you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have concerns/questions.. God Bless us all!

Modern Day Gift Giving: Deal Grocer Vouchers

Since 2013, I've developed a liking for websites that offer discounts to services, numerous products and dining experiences. Dealgrocer, Metrodeal, Groupon and Ensogo are my favorites to name a few but among them, Dealgrocer is my fave. I noticed that their deals are usually a notch higher and usually exclusive. Hence, since I havent had time to do shopping, I decided to check out their current deals and I was able to tick off two people off my shopping list. yey! Here's a few things that I liked about these vouchers from Dealgrocer which made me decide to buy:

1.Before you purchase, you can actually indicate the name of the person you're giving it to which not only gives it a personal touch but also ensures added security that it cannot be easily used by anyone else.

2. The validity periods are just right. Since I will be giving them on Christmas, validity had to be after christmas so the recipients will have plenty of time to decide when to use them.

3. Savings! 50% off! Some vouchers only give you 30-40 off and the greater the savings, the merrier! Also, there were vouchers that were below 300 which were real steals and I just couldnt pass the opportunity :)

I hope there will be other deals that will come out because I still have other family members I need to go shopping for. How bout you? How's your christmas shopping? Till the next post! :)

Tips and notes to make the most of your Bacolod vacation

Just came back (This is five months blogging backlog from June)
We absolutely enjoyed our three day vacation in Bacolod. Of course, we did make an IT but as you know, schedules can only go as far as give you a background and everything changes when you actually do things. So here's a rundown of things we did and things (I think) can be of great help to you.

1.Tourist Spots

The Ruins
*This place is close to the airport and to Silay City so visit it together with the ancestral houses of Silay or before you head to the airport/straight ahead from your flight. Also, it is more beautiful in the afternoon before sunset. Lastly, note that this place can be booked as a wedding venue and become exclusive so they cannot accommodate guests on those days. We wanted to see the place on a friday afternoon but it was booked for a wedding, so I imagine Saturdays can be fully booked on particular months, especially wedding season. Do bring water, umbrellas and fans because the place is very exposed so it can be very humid.

Team Lagrimas for the win! :D

Mambukal
*I didnt enjoy our stay here as much as I hoped because of three reasons

1: We reserved a room since I wanted a secure place for our belongings since I was hoping to look around the facilities. However, it was only when we got there that I found out that rooms can only be used after checking in at 2pm, similar to most hotels. It was a waste for us since we were just on a daytrip and would leave the resort before 4pm. I also didnt know that cottages can be reserved as well so when we got there, there were no available cottages and we were basically palaboy.

2: I didnt expect the place to be so huge and for the walking paths to be so hot. I thought the facilities would be compressed in one area but we had to walk 3-5 minutes between areas, which was a waste of time and quite tedious with our bags(since we didnt have a cottage) and two kids that had to be carried.

Daytrips to waterfalls where you are only allowed to take pictures after trekking for a few minutes carrying a toddler and a preschooler aint fun Mambukal, It ain't fun :(

3: They were strict with the swimwear in the pool so we had no choice but to "reveal" our bodies sans the cover ups. I'm overweight so no questions asked, it was dead embarrassing, but equally as hard for my bffs who were conscious of their body post-pregnancy.

2. Making the most of the sweets that this city has to offer

You get what you pay for when it comes to pasalubong.
They're all butterscotch, Piaya and biscocho, but some brands are better than others. So far, the best Napoleones I've had are from Pendy's and the best Biscocho is indeed from Biscocho house. I'm torn about who has the best butterscotch and I don't like Piaya(so I'm not the one to ask), but I think Virgie's products are more expensive but more delicious; compared to the cheaper brands Margie's, Bongbongs and Merci.

Always leave room for dessert.
The people of Bacolod do loooooooooooooove their sweets and most of them are the best(I believe) in their range. Hence, it would be a huge loss on your part if you would only be able to try a few. Therefore, I suggest that you make it a part of your plan not to stuff yourself too much with meals(which was something since they were equally delicious) so that you can still indulge on that Calea cake or what have you.

I lost count of all the cakes we ate and ordered, but these were some that I had pictures of :)

If it's that big of a deal, prioritize your pasalubong.
We were familiar with Pendy's napoleones but didnt realize that it would be a big deal so we went there on our last afternoon in Bacolod- only to find out that stocks usually run out before lunch time so we were not able to buy. My heart "ached" (yup, the sweet tooth needs to be pleased and settled for a different brand which was okay but not spectacular.

I never know when we will visit again the city of smiles but I will surely take note of these things when the opportunity comes along. Ciao!

Aligaga- Day In, Day out. Repeat

Reese was sick for more than two weeks- from cough to GBS to physical therapy and without thinking twice, I would tell you that it has been the hardest since our parenting days began. Before I started this entry, I thought I had my thoughts collected but as I went along, I found myself lost for words. 

Remembering how sick he was at this point breaks my heart </3

Because that's the thing with parenting. Some say and you tell yourself as well that it gets easier as they age but it doesnt. I remember my mom quoting an officemate, who complained that her son asked her mommy to buy milk for her apo. Mom's officemate complained that she thought her problems would end after her son got married but my mom just laughed and said "Buti kung hindi mo na anak yun kapag nagasawa na."- Short of saying that parenting concerns change as they age but it's parenting nonetheless.

When Reese was newborn, the hardest thing was waking up every two hours to feed him and I told myself that it'll be better when he gets older. When he got older, he liked playing at around 2 or 3 am and watch music videos so still, the sleep was elusive. When he turned 5 months, he slept soundly through the night but he would roll over a lot, so Arnold and I had to sleep in an L-formation so he wouldn't fall off the bed. When we moved to our new home, he quickly learned how to go down the bed by himself so we had to wake up when he did because he's walk towards plugs and appliances in a jiffy.

See, that's how crazy parenting is. It's a double bladed sword in the sense that it's the thing that brings me the most joy and yet it's the thing that can hurt the most. It's inevitable when you love something so purely, when you love somebody beyond the way you love yourself.

Somehow, most days, it's the hardest to find that sweet spot of loving your child just enough so that they know it without causing him or myself damage. Every morning, I struggle to leave because it's when we bond the most, but at the same time, I don't want be late for work. I have to manage our finances well but every car and musical toy and pajama set and comfy shirt seem for Reese seem to wink at me. These are everyday choices as parents and most days, I have to keep "personal score" to make sure that I'm not leaning too much towards one side.

So yes, I'm usually aligaga, still trying to figure out how to be a good parent and balancing it between cooking meals and being a wife and work and part time jobs and mountaineering and family stuff. I hope that you, my dear reader is doing just fine doing more or less the same thing. Until the next post!

Boon Tong Kee- Good Food, no questions asked

After our Boon Tong Kee experience, I kept scolding myself for not trying Singaporean food much sooner. You see, one of the signature dishes of Singaporean food is chili crab(from what I heard) and I am not a fan of it plus adding the fact that I associate the cuisine with Indian food(not a big fan), it was the worst combo for somebody who hasnt tried the food before. Nonetheless, I saw a voucher on metrodeal and since we would be in the area on that day, I decided to give it a go.

Anyhow, I expected that our 2,000 worth of voucher would be consumed but I was surprised that we only ordered 1,400 worth for our dine-in purchase. It came as a surprise because even though each item was more expensive than what I would normally pay for, it was reeeeeeeally filling.

Let's start with the Bacon Meatball and Foo Chow Soup. It's 195php and good for 3-4. The bacon meatballs were served with these crispy strips that were absolutely delicious. I also loved that the broth was yummy but not overpowering and tasted like it was made from fresh ingredients and not that much artificial flavoring.

Next were the signature boiled chicken, hakaw and crispy deep fried chicken. All three dishes were served at roughly the same time and I enumerated them in decreasing satisfaction. 

I liked the signature boiled chicken the most probably because I set very low expectations. For someone who hasnt tried the dish before, I was expecting it to be very bland. True to that, the chicken was bland but it wasn't malansa and the sauce definitely made all the difference. Hubby was quite disappointed with the serving size but I thought it was okay since we had other dishes to try.

Next was the hakaw. I was almost certain that there were two shrimps when I took a bite but it wasnt as good as I wanted it to be because the wrapper broke. I think good hakaw has to have soft enough wrapper that doesnt break when you get it from the bamboo container.

Not bad for 125 :)

Lastly for this batch was deep fried chicken. I have nothing much to say except that it was average and very similar to the Savory chicken.

The last two served were the sambal rice and the cream cheese prawns and this is where it gets really interesting. The food attendant kept remind me(as if to discourage me) that the sambal rice was spicy so I kept telling her that we wanted it(my husband and yaya are both Bicolano, so there goes). The cream cheese was recommended on websites so I decided to give it a try.

The sambal rice(Not sure but I think it was at 295php) was, indeed, spicy, even for my Bicolano companions and even more so for me so I had to pair it with plain rice. Nonetheless, the flavor was really good, given the mix of peanuts and pork bits that I saw and though it was packed with flavor, it didnt clash with the other dishes.

The crackers were a nice addition, I'm guessing to pass time while waiting for the other dishes? hehehe

The cream cheese prawns(375 or 395php) really surprised me though. I was expecting it to be salty, like the nacho dips, but it was sweet. It was so creamy and the sauce was good, I wish we could take it home because I imagined that it would also pair well with chicken. The prawns were huge and all three of us who were so used to eating it with our bare hands had quite a hard time deconstructing each piece.

served with mantau, which I didnt like so no pic of that :)

At this point hubby was complaining from being too full(Yep, we're weird that way) ahahaha so he refused to partake in the chocolate almond jelly we ordered. It wasn't exceptional, but just right to wash down the rich taste of the dishes.

All in all, I would recommend eating in Boon Tong Kee for those "kinda special" eat outs like birthdays. Bear in mind that servings are good for 3-4 except the rice and the desserts or stated otherwise but I guess you need to order at least three main dishes to enjoy the experience. 

Till the next parenting or travel or food adventure!