Driving and the Filipino psyche

I have been driving myself to work for the past two weeks accompanied by a professional driver and have managed to bring myself and the car to school without a scratch.

While concentrating on my driving, I also observe my fellow drivers and here are things I noticed although these are really nothing new:

• Taxi and jeepney drivers are selfish drivers. When they see a slow moving vehicle (not necessarily me), they grab the earliest opportunity to overtake or make a quick cut. No wonder they get involved in a lot of minor accidents.
  
• There are a lot of impatient drivers out there. When the light turns green, these drivers honk their horns immediately if the car in front has not moved an inch, which I find crazy.
  
• Drivers in the opposite lane who overtake and occupy the lane I am on tend to stop when they see I'm a lady driver and go back to their right lane. It worked all the time.
• Pedestrians also beat the red light.
• Cars I've seen with lady drivers do not look well maintained.
  

I haven't been to many places yet (I'm saving on gas expenses) and I badly need to practice how to park properly. But the experience has proven to be liberating and empowering.

2006 ASLP board inducted into office

I didn't think I'd get elected to the 2006 ASLP board having been inactive for the last two years. So it came as a pleasant surprise to be told that I made it.

The induction took place at the Ariston Estrada Seminar Room at De La Salle University last Thursday, 12 January with Ms. Agnes Yuhico, AVP for Academic Services of DLSU as inducting officer.

This year's officers and board of directors are as follows: Jocelyn Ladlad, President (De La Salle University); Luz Verdejo, Vice-President (Department of Foreign Affairs); Arlene Gonzales, Secretary (Goethe Institut); Ceferina Andaya, Treasurer (Philippine National Bank); Edita Dumo, Auditor (Nat'l Economic and Development Authority); Elizabeth Francisco, PRO (EDCA); Board of Directors: Brinerdine Alejandrino (Thomas Jefferson Information Center), Teresita Casio (National Statistics Office), Placida Socorro Limpin (Assumption College), Wilhelmina Lopez (Department of Trade and Industry); Corazon Garcia, Ex-Officio (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas); Advisers: Shirley Nava (Department of Justice); Milagros Ong (Supreme Court); Valentina Tolentino (Phil. Institute of Development Studies).

Librarians stressed?

I was surprised to read this article from BBC: Librarians 'suffer most stress'.

In a study that will be presented in a conference in Glasgow, it was found out that among firefighters, police officers, train operators, teachers and librarians, librarians were the most unhappy, greatly stressed out and prone to be absent from work.

The librarians surveyed complained about their physical environment, the repititive nature of their job, and how they felt they had little control over their career.

If there was something that stressed me as a librarian that would be the people I work with at the library but not the work. Gosh, I've been a classroom teacher and one of my most unforgettable experiences was suffering from migraine for two long weeks as a result of reading term papers full of grammatical errors. The only time I remember getting a migraine as a librarian was when I was faking it so I can go on sick leave.

Maybe, just maybe, our British counterparts don't know how to have a good time after work or even while at work? Brits are known for being formal and all, maybe they need to loosen up a bit. Being in control of one's life does not guarantee a happy and worry-free life. Sometimes we have to learn to let go and accept everything that comes our way.

A December to remember

December 2005 would be one unforgettable month for me. Reason: I had no househelp for the entire month. The Lord must have His reasons for leaving me without help on the busiest month of the year but I'm proud to say that I survived the ordeal!

I have received sympathetic messages from friends here and abroad about my plight but let me just give you an idea of what I went through last December.

My day started at 4:30 am fixing breakfast and baon for the four of us. An hour later I'd wake up the kids and had them ready for school. I usually ate my breakfast between 6:15 to 6:30 am. Breakfast later than these would have upset my schedule but thank God work is just a ten minute drive away.

I got on with my library duties with a one hour break at 11 a.m. never missing a 30-minute nap, which I badly needed. As soon as I got home around 5 pm, I just changed my clothes and prepared my kids some snacks because they always arrived very hungry. Then I decided what's for dinner and bring them out from the freezer. While waiting for the food to thaw, I sorted the day's laundry and soak the whites. I've become a sort of laundry expert all of a sudden. In fact, I've developed a fondness for our washing machine and the lotion.

I spend the next 30 minutes or so talking with the kids while tidying the house and washing the dishes. Never has time management meant more to me than this going through theses experiences.
Between 6 to 7 p.m., I prepared dinner and was over with it at 7:30 after which I wash the dishes and attend to the day's laundry. I was usually done with the laundry around 9 p.m. but only went to bed close to 10 pm.

This was just the domestic scene. At work, I was under a lot of pressure to come up with a production in a week's time excluding practices for our Christmas party where cash prizes were at stake. As a result of these hectic schedule I missed deadlines for Manila Bulletin, was not able to blog, and missed out on an early Christmas shopping. These totally zapped what little creative juices I had.

But, God rewarded me for my backbreaking work by giving us the 2nd prize in the Christmas party production and for letting me win a scholarship at the Center for Pop Music Philippines during the raffle and a couple of other prizes. (I'm sending my son, in case you're wondering. I have no intentions of taking on a singing career, thank you very much.)

In case you're wondering what happened to me for the rest of the Christmas vacation, we spent them at my parents house where they have two househelps. Just being practical.

And for completing the Simbang Gabi where I unceasingly prayed for Him to send me a househelp when He wanted to, God has sent me one as soon as we all went back to school. Faith works!