Do not break your lunch break

Philippine Star - Saturday, July 19

Two new female employees were conversing one day.

First girl: I lost my job because of illness and fatigue.

Second girl: That's too bad.

First girl: Yeah, my boss got sick and tired of me.

The second girl pressed on: Why, what happened?

First girl: I was just a little late coming back from lunch.

Second girl: "And what did your boss say?"

First girl: "He said, you are so amazing; you've been with us two weeks and already you're a month behind in your work."

Talk about lunch breaks.

There was once a time in our work life when we had the luxury of sitting down, relaxing and eating a hearty meal during lunch hour. This part of our life is now history. Long before the advent of email, SMS, Blackberry and being "On Line" 24/7, our lunch breaks today are laced with tasks, things-to-do, things-I-should-do-while-doing-lunch and this is why we are so stressed.

Technology has made us want to inject more tasks into the same hours available. And we tend to think that all of these tasks are important. Just consider this word "Priorities." How can "priority" be in the plural form? But that's just the way life is today.

I have a not-too-good way of doing lunch.

The Ilocana at one time called my attention and said, "Sweetheart, you may want to chew your food before you swallow..... you have just set an Olympic record for speed eating!"

This is not a good thing.

Although I can finish a meal in 3 minutes flat some times I tend to forget that others cannot. And this is why as a leader I need to be sensitive about this and not cause indigestion especially to the people who work for me and who work with me.

Here are 5 ways for you not to break your lunch break:

Make sure you make the best of your lunch hour. By considering the following ideas:

Get a good breakfast.

* You start the day by starting healthy and you go through the day by staying healthy. Time and time again I hear fitness and nutrition experts saying that breakfast is the key to controlling hunger by lunch time. There are people who tell me they skip breakfast. I don't really know if that is a good idea. But I make sure I have a good breakfast, stay away from sweets, drink lots of liquids not just coffee and take a lot of fiber that helps keep me from overeating. Now this is just me. I do not pretend to be an expert but I can go for the whole morning without having to take a morning snacks as long as I have a good breakfast. This gives me the energy to do what I do and makes me a lot more productive.

Get away from your desk.

* If you bring your lunch to work, do not take your lunch to a place where you will be spending the rest of your hours of the day. Use your lunch break as an opportunity to remove yourself from your workspace. Get some fresh air. Stay away from the dragons. These are the people who huff and puff their cigarette during lunch time. Eat outside, talk to a friend, read a good book, listen to your favorite music through your MP3 player or something but here's the key: Just step away! This way you will feel re-energized once it's time to slide back into your chair.

Get your workouts from your errands.

* Some bosses need to get work done ASAP. And they need you to do errands. So make the most out of this by walking! This helps digestion and this would greatly revitalize you mentally and reduce stress throughout the day.

Get the right company.

* Find colleagues who are healthy and health conscious. You know the old cliché: Birds of the same feather, they all eat little together..." :)

* As you build friendships and encourage health consciousness, you are actually adding value to building good relationships which benefits not only yourself but your organization as well.

But this is the one important thing I need to remember. As a leader I should refrain from making my people break their lunch break. Not only is this a "not-very-nice-thing-to-do," it's just reflective of poor leadership.

(Francis Kong will be the lead trainer for the Dr. John Maxwell's "Developing the Leader Within You" leadership program this July 31 and August 1 at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. 632-8129125) - Francis J. Kong/Philstar

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/star/20080719/tbs-break-lunch-hour-0ec9746.html

Cinderella Opening Night - A Magical Night

by Shine Vicencio

~ ~ ~
After watching my first of many Cinderella nights...
~ ~ ~


image courtesy of Broadway Asia Entertainment

Music and Lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Bobby Garcia

RUN: July 29 - August 24, 2008
WHERE: Cultural Center of the Philippines


As a little girl, I grew up with princess stories like Cinderella. I have always remembered Cinderella as the rags to riches story of a girl who lived with her wicked stepmom and step sisters; with a fairy godmother who transformed her into a beautiful princess to be able to attend a ball (but with a curfew of midnight); and with a handsome young prince who found her by fitting Cinderella's glass shoe to every lady in their kingdom.

Last Tuesday was a magical night. It was the long-awaited opening night of Cinderella and I was fortunate to have seen it.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, where Rogers & Hammersteins' Cinderella Asian tour premiers, was full of very excited people. At the lobby, different souvenir items were sold: programs, cast recording soundtrack, shirts, keychains and jewelries. People were busy getting their souvenirs before the curtain lifted to start the show. I met fellow AFLSers whom I haven't seen for a looong time, and not-so-new AFLSers whom I met for the first time. Good to see you guys again. A Lea Salonga event like this wouldn't be complete without the AFLSers. :D

The 2-3hr show was a stress reliever for me. The sets were simple, and I love their costumes: very colorful, which made the ambiance very light and cheerful. The music is so beautiful and catchy: "The Prince is Giving a Ball". And my favorites so far are "Impossible/It's Possible" (I'm so amused at those singing rats) and "Ten Minutes Ago". I love the scene where the fairy godmother transformed the pumpkin into a carriage, the mice into horses, the rats into footmen and coachmen, and Cinderella into a princess. Magic! I was also amused at how the production made it look like Lea could dress up really, really fast. Like a blink of an eye.

The story of Cinderella is not new to all of us. We have heard and watched the story as early as we were 3 yrs old. What I like about this production's rendition of Cinderella is that there isn't any major conflict that will make you stressful. Not even with the stepmother and stepsisters. They're actually very funny, not irritating. Peter Saide as Prince Christopher Rupert is really suited to be called Prince Charming. He charmed the audience with his rendition of "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" and his duet with Lea of "Ten Minutes Ago".

And of course, the cherry on top of the icing that night was meeting Cinderella herself. With other AFLSers, we met Lea backstage after the show. Will post pictures soon! :D

Don't miss your Cinderella moment. Get your tickets now. The show runs from July 29 to Aug 24.

Cinderella's Official Website: http://www.cinderellaonstage.com/

Spelling Bee

I want to watch this... :)

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SPELLING BEE

WHAT'S THE BEE ABOUT?

In the Broadway Musical Comedy, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grownups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser.

This hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicles the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. A quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

ABOUT THE AUDIENCE PARTICIPANTS

Before every performance of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, two audience volunteers are recruited to participate on stage as guest-spellers along with two invited celebrity guest spellers each night. Each new foursome guarantees a new set of hilarious and unexpected experiences - one night is just as unique as the one before it!

Source: http://www.atlantisproductionsinc.com/

Language of Love

A friend of mine has gone through a seminar which was required of them (she and her husband) before getting married early this year. She explained to me that people have different ways of expressing their love to people, whether romantic love or love for family and friends. Then, I saw a page from our Leadership Training held last year. I never really thought about it until it became applicable...

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Physical Touch
(hugs and kisses are the best way to express these)

Words of Affirmation
(words of affection and endearment, words of praise and encouragement, words that give positive guidance all say "I care about you.")

Quality Time
(being together is more important than what you are doing)

Gifts
(may not always be deserved or expensive but something that gives a gesture of love and sincerity)

Acts of Service
(acts done freely without coercion or counting the cost -- serving with joy)

From the book: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
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So, which language of love do you use?

Light and Easy

Thought for the day (c/o Debbie Uy)...

Good Morning

Light and Easy As we grow in strength in our spiritual life, we give up the habit of worrying. It serves no purpose other than to make us feel tense and miserable. When I stop fretting about things that are beyond my control and focus instead on generating optimistic and kind thoughts, my life can begin to flow in ever more positive directions. Such a light and easy approach to life enables me to take everything in my stride.

Quote 050108

From One Tree Hill - Episode 513 - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace

Peyton: Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want.

Lucas: Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true.

Peyton: But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to possibility of it, to the certainty of it.

Brooke: You just might get the thing you're wishing for.

Nathan: The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it?

Haley: Good. Now believe in it, with all your heart...

Quote 041708

Don't make promises when you are in joy. Don't reply when you are sad. Don't take decision when you are angry. Think twice, act wise.

Quote 032708

“Albert Camus once wrote, 'Blessed are the hearts that can bend, They shall never be broken.' But I wonder, if there’s no breaking, then there’s no healing. And if there’s no healing then there’s no learning. And if there is no learning, then there’s no struggle. But struggle is part of life. So must all hearts be broken?” - Lucas Scott (One Tree Hill)

Let Go and Let God

Today I let go and I let God
     take charge of this life of mine.
Now in the dark corners of my soul,
     His light is beginning to shine.
All of the cares and worries
     that I have carried around for so long
He has lifted them from my shoulders,
     and filled my heart with love.
Problems that were overwhelming
     suddenly seem very small,
     and come what may, starting today,
     I know I can handle them all.

If you are troubled,
     "Let Go and Let God"
     take charge of your life for you,
     and however dark life's shadows seem,
     His light will come shining through.

Points of View

~ ~ ~
I dedicate this song to my Besty...
~ ~ ~

Joey Albert and Pops Fernandez - Points Of View

Powered by mp3skull.com

Artist: Joey Albert & Pops Fernandez
Albums: OPM Timeless Collection Gold Series 2: Joey Albert /
OPM Timeless Collection Gold Series 2: Pops Fernandez
Year: 1997
Title: Points Of View

Look, it's happened once again
It happens every now and then
Feeling the hurt and hating all the men
Ready to stop it all

That's when I need a friendly face
To see me through these lonely days
Just to put some sunshine in my place
Don't take too long I need you

REFRAIN:
Here I am
I haven't gone that far away
And since I am
That kind of friend you know
Would stay with you through all the pain
Never to leave you in the rain
Ready to listen to what you've been through
Your woes and blues and share each other's

CHORUS:
Points of view
We've been there once before
And kept our points of view
It doesn't really matter if they're never quite the same
We have our rules in different ways
We play the games of different folks with different strokes
And keep our points of view

See the world seems bright again
It only darkens now and then
Most of the time there's just no telling when
Look up and see you've got me

REFRAIN:
Here we are
We may have gone our different ways
But since we are
The kind of friends who'll always stay
No matter what the pain
Learning to love that cap o rain
Ready to say we're here to stay in every way
Although we'e got our different...

CHORUS:
Points of view
We've been there once before
And kept our points of view
It doesn't really matter if they're never quite the same
We have our rules in different ways
We play the games of different folks with different strokes
And keep our points of view

Points of view
We've been there once before
And kept our points of view

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"Funny how we set qualifications while we are in the process of finding the person who is the best for us when at the back of our minds we know that the one we love will always be an exception to the rule."

Avenue Q - Review

by Shine Vicencio

~ ~ ~
This was a review I made October last year after I watched the first run of Avenue Q.
~ ~ ~


image courtesy of Atlantis Productions

Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
Book by Jeff Whitty
Directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga

RUN: September 7 - 23, 2007
WHERE: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati


It has been quite some time since I last saw a musical production here in Manila. When I heard that Atlantis is going to produce Avenue Q and will be staged here in Manila, I didn’t hesitate and reserved my ticket. I’ve heard a lot of raves for Avenue Q since its Broadway debut. It was the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, so I was sure that I wasn’t going to regret watching this one.

Avenue Q is a musical about real life. Its setting is in an outer borough of New York City at the present time. The place is far from being Park Avenue (where most well-off people of New York City resides), but it is home to some unusual people and puppets. It is about graduating from a course that one doesn't know what to do with (What Do You Do With a B.A. in English); it is about finding a job and losing a job; it is about finding an apartment to live in and getting kicked out of your apartment; it is about racism (Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist), promiscuity, falling in love, avoiding commitment, finding one's purpose (Purpose), wishing to go back to one’s security blanket (I Wish I Could Go Back to College) and discovering one’s self in the process.

Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate, came to New York City filled with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Looking for a place to live in, he found out that Avenue Q was the place that is within his budget. He met people from all walks of life and race in this neighborhood which led him on a hilarious journey of self-discovery.

While watching the show, I could see myself in Princeton’s shoes a few years back (and sometimes in the present when life seems so tough on me). I guess we all went through the stage when we were fresh out of college, trying to find our niche in the real world, knowing that we’re out of college’s security blanket. “I wish I could go back to college. Life was so simple back then.” As we grow older, it seems like life gets more and more complicated. Don’t you just wish that we could go back to college, or high school? But then, as the show also says…”everything in life is only for now”.

Unconventional to the usual musicals I’ve seen from the past, Avenue Q made use of both real people and puppets to portray different characters. At first, I couldn’t imagine how this was going to be staged. I thought of Sesame Street when I heard that puppets were going to be used in the play, and imagined having a waist high wall all the time to keep the audience from seeing the puppeteers. But this show is far from being Sesame Street. First of all, the puppeteers didn’t have to hide behind a wall while they performed. If you watched you would see that Rachel Alejandro performed for two puppets, and that Joel Trinidad performed for at least four puppets. Secondly, I wouldn’t recommend kids to watch this show. We usually associate Sesame Street and puppets to kids. But Avenue Q is advertised to have “full puppet nudity”. In my opinion, adults and teenagers would love this show. But since Avenue Q addresses issues like sex, racism, drinking, and surfing the web for porn, parents should use their discretion based on the maturity level of their kids before letting them watch this show.

The performance of the main cast was amazing. Frenchie Dy, Rycharde Everly and Aiza Seguerra who portrayed real people’s characters were fantastic. Frenchie, who was discovered from Star In a Million proved to have the voice of a winner. She was able to belt out the high notes of The More You Ruv Someone and carry out the role of a Japanese migrant complete with speaking and singing voice Japanese accent. Rycharde was so funny. And Aiza, whom we knew as the kid who won the hearts of many in Eat Bulaga, proved to have great talent. She played Gary Coleman in the show. Yes, the child actor from Different Strokes. Although Aiza played a male character, she played it convincingly.

Rachel Alejandro, Felix Rivera and Joel Trinidad all portrayed the characters of puppets. In short, they were the puppeteers of the show’s main characters. Although they were hiding behind the character of their puppets, you could still see that their facial expressions match the lines that they deliver and the songs that they sing. There were some puppeteers, however, that are expressionless, which doesn’t give much impact to their performances. They also had to adjust their voices to make their speaking voices sound like a puppet. I know it was hard to make it consistent for the duration of the whole show, but they were able to pull it off. There were also times that I noticed that the puppets were talking or singing but the puppeteers’ mouth isn’t moving. One would think that they are great ventriloquists. But I was told beforehand that there are guest voices in the show. Among them are Lea Salonga, Rob Chien (Lea’s husband), Jet Pangan, KC Concepcion, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Bobby Lopez (co-creator of Avenue Q). However, I couldn’t quite point a finger whose voice was talking or singing during those times.

I really enjoyed watching this show. I give it a “two thumbs” up. To those who missed the October run of Avenue Q, and to those who would want to watch it again, Atlantis Productions decided to do a repeat performance on December. The run will be from December 14 – 23, 2007. Venue will still be at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

And as Rachel Alejandro said after their curtain call, let’s support Philippine theater. =)

Uncontrollable Smile

I can't say that I am 100% happy...
But at least now I can smile again with an uncontrollable smile... :)

I still miss my bestfriend though.

What Shine and Theresa Means

What Shine Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.


What Theresa Means

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?