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

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