I don't know why I'm blogging right now

So. The trips are over. At least the first trips of the year. Baguio was a hit. The workshop was really fruitful, and fun, and fun... Then, just last week, Cagayan de Oro. The workshop was just as fruitful, equally-interesting and fun, and fun. The workshop seemed endless (both in Baguio and Cagayan). I only went out of the hotel/hostel to buy things needed for the training. of course it was a work trip but somehow it was too busy I wasn't able to explore as much as i wanted to. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'll come back there soon (both places).

So i am. Next week, off to Baguio again. Planning meeting and all. It could have been done here at the office (as most of my office mates said) but we'll have it in uber-cold Baguio (it registered 9 degrees today). I hope i won;t get colds when we go up there. But ok, I'll just enjoy it when I get there.

Now what...

Now is report writing time. That's why I don't know why I'm blogging right now. i should be writing. I think blogging's like a break or something. But breaks are usually totally different from the real work thing you do. Blogging's like writing, same thing. Maybe the content's what differs. I'll blog anyway.

Annual monitoring report. Pretty technical words and yah it's really technical. It fells like doing thesis all over again. The difference now is I'm paid doing it and it has greater cause other than for knowledge-seeking and academic discussion. But don't get me wrong, I still love academic discussion. I'll be back in that field pretty soon.

Going back to annual report due this Feb 15, I've finished half of it. Finished all the tables and stuff like that. Now it's getting a little too technical. I need to look at project objectives, project outputs and components, link them to the activities, follow the LFA matrix and be consistent in every sheet so that I'd be able to fulfill the tasks of result-based reporting. It's tough given that i only have 2 weeks to have it done or else.

But I'd love to have it done. It's pretty challenging. I just hope I'll have easier time doing it. So help me God

New things this new year...

So 2011 has started and a lot of things are new. We just moved in to a new office. It was a bold move especially because our office has been in NATCCO for 20 years and it is only now that we decided to move out and find our own place. There's too much identification with the organization so moving out was asserting identity in some ways. The moving out was a little hard both emotionally and physically. I've known a lot of people from the old office and leaving the physical space would also lessen the frequency of conversations and meeting up. It would mean finding new people to say hi to every time you pass by each other. And physically of course because there's a lot of things we have to transfer and I'm talking about big and heavy things. The books and publications of the organization, materials for training, souvenirs from different organizations in different countries, computer hardwares and other heavy equipments, tables and chairs and everything that the office holds.

But I think it's a positive move. I just hope things will be brighter for us this year and as the organization pushes forward.
---

Then the first travel. destination: Baguio. 1st training this year in the coldest place in its coldest time. Good thing the participants have very warm personalities and they offer warm hugs (literally as a group) every now and then.

Hope the next trips (Cagayan and Bohol) will also be as fun and warm.:)

---

New things are always nice. I think it's because they're different from the old things you had before and the idea of having them (or having experienced them) adds up to your concept of exploring bigger and better possibilities. Of course hesitations and un-acceptance sometimes comes at first but it will fade soon by looking at the positive things change can offer. Maybe it the idea of replacement that is feared. Since new things are always shiny and appealing and easier and faster and all that -er and more in it (such as in technology), the memory that accompanies the old things seems to be taken for granted as well. It's a reality. But I think people have a choice to keep things and change things based on whatever subjectivities there are. People just have to learn to let go most of the time and hold on sometimes.

I should blog more often

Yes. I think I should. With lots of things going on in my life right now, the trips, the learnings, the experiences, blogging is perfect for me. I'm just really lazy and I have not been writing (freely: out of the bounds of work reports and requirements) for months so I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with blogging regularly like my girlfriend does.

Anyway to start the year of the rabbit, (as if it matters what year of what it is at all) I thought of a flashback to my 2010. Every one's doing it anyway. Sites features 2010 in films, 2010 in news, top tourist destination of 2010 and whatever listology people think interesting. They even involve people now in deciding what's hot and what's not in 2010. Twitter and FB are gaining some ground in public opinion lately. Of course there's a question of representation of who are capable of and have access to these sites to comment but ok, FB has 500 million friends representing jejemon and bourgeois alike so let's give them credit.

So going back to the list of things I'm thankful for in 2010...

1. an NGO job I like doing

- where I was introduced to the interesting and sometimes trivial world of development work

- where I was inspired to be a highly-paid consultant in 15 to 20 years

- where got to travel to different parts of the country: Davao, Cebu, CDO, Ilocos, Abra, Iligan,

Misamis Occ. and others.

2. travel to different parts of the country and the latest trip to Indonesia (my first international

travel)

- travelling is just so much fun. Indonesia is a perfect first-time travel for me and Krista. It's not too different from the Philippines; the fare (on promo) was affordable; their temples are adorable and historical dating back to the 9th century BC; their culture is a celebration; their food hot and spicy and masarap just the way I like it; their batik cloth; their monuments and historical spots well-preserved; their train transport system better than Philippines and a lot more things to love about it.

3. Graduation (the ceremony not the actual graduation/completion)

4. 3 years of togetherness with Krista

5. Trainings I facilitated.

6. Books I read

7. Movies I've seen

8. foodtrips

9. meetups with college friends once in a while

10. treat to friends and family (once in a while)

And a whole lot more. Thankful to God for all the blessings and grateful for the provisions. I'm sure 2011 will be even better.:)