close call

a december sunday shopping at divisoria was a bad idea. with my dad spreading some early christmas cash, we were off but even an early wake up call couldn't avoid the christmas crowd. i wasn't able to buy anything, not even a single string. so i decided to come back the next day, a monday, and i expect wide-open aisles.

i woke up late and went to SM north edsa for a quick stop to look for leather shoes. never saw a pair i liked. so off to divisoria then. i took a bus to monumento and then a jeepney. i was seated in front and never knew a simple choice between front and back could've been a choice between life and death...

when roni met ronny

the 21st of november marked the day when roni met ronny. after a month of preparation, i was ready to welcome our guest of honor, Ronny Chiu, Pharm.D. of Walgreens California. sending out hundreds of e-mails and text messages was only the first step, handling the event was a totally different story...

accepting the job as project coordinator was a no-brainer. i had no work, the job offer was home-based, and the pay was good. i was scheduled to report in the office 3 times a week but i only reported whenever i felt like it. the job was perfect for me.

so then november 21 came. i was an hour and a half early, doing last minute preparations and setting up the venue. i was waiting for a Ronny Chiu whom i haven't met yet nor have seen even in pictures. one by one, people were starting to fill up the room. everyone was anxious to find out who exactly is this Ronny Chiu. A man then entered the room, and looked for Ron. that's me! it was him, and a firm handshake started things off.

Ronny just went through his business. he had a presentation about the Walgreens Company, and then interviewed qualified applicants to be hired as pharmacy interns in the US. i was in charge of his schedule and i was with him in the most part of the day. and in between interviews we would talk about things from the state of pharmacy in the philippines to the traffic situation in manila.

after a couple of days of presentation and interviews, a huge problem reared its ugly head. apparently, the pharmacists were having issues with the POEA. applicants were no longer allowed to be hired directly by Walgreens since they have exceeded their quota. and unless Walgreens ties up with an agency in the philippines, something the company opposes, all aspiring Walgreens employees will have to look for other opportunities.

fortunately, someone managed to set-up a meeting between Ronny and the POEA deputy administrator. and with Ronny not familiar on how to get to the POEA office, i was there to accompany him.

it was a good thing i was wearing formal wear that week. we went to the POEA office and the deputy administrator welcomed us to his office, all the while thinking i was someone important. i think the necktie did the trick. i was even asking Ronny if i should just be waiting outside and not be part of the meeting. he said it was okay.

so they started talking while i was intently listening. from time to time i would nod my head to make them feel that i was indeed part of that meeting. i think i was able to squeeze a couple of words in. good enough for me. the meeting ended in a stalemate. Ronny gave out his calling card and so did the deputy administrator. he also gave me one but i could only give him a "thank you" and a handshake for i don't have a calling card.

it was really cool hanging out with Ronny. i got to meet all kinds of people and i learned a lot from him. he cares for the filipino pharmacists, even going out of his way just to give them a chance to work at a great company. he is down-to-earth that you won't even think that he's raking in hundreds of thousand of dollars from the way he handles himself in a crowd. hopefully we cross paths again and maybe he could put in a good word for me so i could get rich myself! just kidding. or maybe not.

swipe

enough with the t-shirts, enough with the saggy jeans. enough with the polo shirts and the sneakers. if i'm going to be a professional, i have to look like a professional. i think it's about that time to start filling my closet with long-sleeved shirts and slacks...

i never really owned any formal wear until 3rd year highschool. and i only bought it for junior prom. i never had problems though. if ever i needed a long-sleeved shirt for a presentation or any formal occasions, all i had to do was walk next-door and pick from my uncle's closet. mix and match the shirts with the comic ties and i'm all set.

making money out of practically nothing might not be something to be proud of, i'll use the not-so-hard-earned money to good use: investment in formal wear. my borrowing days will be over soon. a quick trip to SM north edsa is the key.

a scorching hot december afternoon sun and the large crowd at the mall can't stop me now. it's a saturday and my intuitions are proven right, only a fraction of the crowd was actually at the mall to buy things. people were all over the mall except in the stores, i was the only one in the men's section of the department store.

at every turn i saw something i like. both my eyes were busy; one was looking at the clothes, the other one looking at my wallet. two long-sleeved shirts later, my peso-gauge was nearing empty. i guess i'll just have to call it a day and come back for other stuff after a wallet-refill. but my wallet had an ace up its sleeve. a credit card.

for years, my mom has been giving me an extension of her credit card. i never really used it because i never really needed it. today will be the first time to swipe my card. picked a couple of neckties and i'm starting to get the hang of it. if i don't pump the brakes now, i might get addicted to using it. i started to send text messages to my parents with the subject: "i'll pay for it, i swear."

i need someone to hide my credit card and fast!

my name is ron

do good things and good things happen. do bad things and it'll come back to haunt you...

i was a young boy when i learned about the concept of karma. the first time i heard it, i believed it right away because it made sense. it's probably due to my naive concept of the world, but as i grew older i realized that the world is indeed not fair. then jason lee showed up on jack tv...

months before, jason lee was a guest on conan (all hail the king of late night tv). his show "my name is earl" was about to debut on nbc. the show revolves around earl and his discovery of karma. i saw the clip for the pilot episode but that's it. there's no nbc on philippine cable tv.

jacktv to the rescue. i was surprised and grateful that jacktv included "my name is earl" in their line-up. i chanced upon its pilot episode and instantly, i'm hooked. not only was it hilarious, it also gave the spotlight to the good guy. good or bad, everybody gets what they deserve.

karma, you gotta love it. i just hope i did enough good things to balance buying a pirated copy of the series...

judging oblivious abandon

if not for the advantages of the previous page, i wouldn't be thinking about you. if not for the flash and the words therein, i could've ignored my memory of you. it seems you were meant to linger in my head for the rest of the night...

i already forgot about you. i just added "busy" in my vocabulary. i already gave up on you not because i wanted to but because i felt i had to. your words make a few years seem like decades. your subtle way of holding back or worse, a polite rejection. either way, i'm no rock.

but tonight i'm thinking i want to find out more about you and get to know you better. let your guard down for a moment. break the wall down and let me in for a while. you can make this go away in the morning or make this last for longer.

here comes the cold...

Walgreens

Good Day!

Dr. Ronny Chiu, Pharmacy Supervisor of the California Bay North District of The Walgreen Company, in cooperation with Rx Review Center, will be conducting a presentation about the history and benefit overview of Walgreens. Walgreens is the No.1 retail Pharmacy in the United States. The presentation will be held on November 21, 9:00 am at the Rx Review center located at 1919 F. Agoncillo St., Malate, Manila. Limited seats only. If interested, please reply with your contact details to this email address or call/text 09209254119.

Dr. Chiu will also interview qualified applicants for possible employment as pharmacy intern on November 22 and 23. Limited slots only. So if you already possess an FPGEC certificate, passed the FPGEE, or about to take the FPGEE this December, please contact me so I can schedule you an interview with Dr. Chiu.

Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from
you at the soonest time possible.

Yours Truly,

Ron Gilbert Go, RPh
Project Coordinator
Rx Review Center
http://www.rxreview.com

car crash

i was about to put my foot down, drill it to the floor even. i was about to show everyone that i'm a pushover no more. the lanes are open, pedal to the floor. flying on the highway and then all of a sudden i hit a brick wall in the middle of the road.

this morning, as i was about to go to work, i called our dog tiny but he was busy sleeping. it was a bit strange for he was an energizer bunny. but i was late and didn't bother him. the 8 hours of work did its toll on my body and the traffic jam in the city of potholes only made it worse. but the worst was still to come. i came home and my cousin asked me "did u cry?"

i was perplexed. why would i cry? then they realized i haven't heard the news. tiny passed away and joined his friend spark in dog heaven.

only two nights ago, he was like on a sugar rush. moving around in circles doing anything to catch my attention. he will only stop once i played with him. i think he was a lonely dog. that makes us two. he grew up with spark always by his side but these past few days he had no one during daytime for everyone had their own thing going. i keep on thinking, i could've done something. if only i took a couple of seconds to check on him this morning, i could've saved him from what will eventually end his life. another lesson to be learned.

i'm putting my reinvention on hold. for no matter how much we hate the world or just the people around us, we'll surely miss them once they're gone. and anyone can go in a snap. how many times will we have to be reminded to say "i love you" to the ones we love or even make them feel appreciated?

say hi to spark for me tiny...

reinvented

after almost a year of growing my hair long, i've decided to cut it short again. i figured if i'm going to be a professional, i have to look like a professional. cutting my hair short was just the tip of the iceberg as far as changes from last year are concerned.

this time last year, i was still in college, trying to make ends meet just to get where i am right now. how i wish i could do the opposite. no longer am i staying up late studying for an exam. i now stay up late because i can't sleep, hounded by questions that only time can answer.

this time last year, working abroad or even the thought of it was impossible for me to comprehend. yes, the money is there but it's for a price. you'll be sacrificing being with family and friends. you'll be sacrificing the life, no matter how difficult, you're comfortable with. some might argue that you sacrifice for the future of your family. have they thought of the sacrifice that the whole family will have to endure when a loved one goes away? i've always believed that you don't have to break-up the family to keep it alive. though i still believe so, i've opened my doors. i'm now seriously considering working outside of the country not mainly to make money and have a secured future, but more so to have a fresh start...

this time last year, i was the all around nice guy, even if i know that nice guys finish last. the past year i've learned that being nice will get you nowhere and i've decided to tone it down a bit. in this world, only a handful see and appreciate the good in people, and only to them will i be good, they deserve it.

it's always a balancing act, where God merits your good deeds and the people around you take advantage of it. i now understand. for years i've upset the balance doing all the good that i can. it's now time to get dirty with people who get dirty but still be nice to people who are nice. only God can judge me.

long sleeves and cab talk

i was ready for my job interview but i was running late on schedule. it's a good thing that the heavens were smiling at me, the series of fortunate events kept me on track. first was catching an fx taxi in valenzuela, a rare occurrence since last year. then at monumento station, crowds were spilling from the platform on to the sidewalks. it's a good thing the fx route was up to 5th ave. there were long lines as well but there was an express lane for those who already have tickets. good thing i still have my stored-value ticket from last month. still running a bit late, i decided to take a taxi cab on buendia. the roads were full of taxi cabs but were all taken. but after a long long walk from taft avenue, i found one. i came in 10 minutes early.