31 things
once again i am thrust into a situation, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. last year, i began counting the last 30 days to my turning 30. i do the same exercise today, but only, i count the last 30 days before i turn 31 (alas! were it only possible to grow younger). i do not know whether it is prudent to repeat my random ruminations last year, as i doubt whether anything major has taken place. my opinions, views, and aspirations remain largely unchanged, and other than the onslaught of age, i am more or less the same person. much has changed, that is certain, but not so much that anyone who knows me might not recognize me.
having no better topic to talk about, and as i am convinced that i should commit myself to this exercise if only to make me realize the profound importance of turning a year older, i have decided that my countdown would be devoted to things that i'd like to have in the next 12 months of my life -- and by things i do not mean material objects. it may mean something intangible, an occurrence, a change in status, a new skill, a different paradigm, a shift in gears. i have not completely thought about it -- i am unsure whether i will actually be able to count 31 things. or whether i should create ideas along the way. but this i got to do. let me begin with those that have been occupying my thoughts during my long commutes.
1st thing: career direction
my tone in the last few weeks has betrayed the rumble and tumble of emotions that have raged within me since may when i received a very well-placed phone call. i had been the last two to be interviewed for a post that i must have conjured in a dream, and was blightly unaware that it actually existed. i only learned about it from a friend, who encouraged me to apply. immediately after i left the ambassador's room, i had this strange feeling in my stomach: i knew i didn't get the job. and the announcement i received over a week later was also unintentionally lost on my tired mind. "the position fell on you," i was told, and i had to ask if i got the job. and i did. i have been working with the european union since the 18th of june. i now hold office at the 30th floor of the RCBC plaza; my room has a fantastic view of salcedo village, and on clear days, i can see all the way to the rizal province, beyond laguna de bay.
this is what i have always wanted to do: to work for an international organization (although in this case, the EU is actually a supranational body) with a particular focus on the advocacies that i have always felt strongly about. i may not be working at the level of determining policy, but as i said in my interview, each part of a car serves a purpose: you could be a screw, but if you're not in the right place, things can go wrong. my title is contracts and finance officer, and friends who know my aversion for anything numeric laugh at the title. i would be most willing to explain the nature of my work.
but i am loving the work that i do. i loved it even before i applied. i have taken out many things from my lifestyle just to be able to do the work well. and i really want to do well. i do not have to drag myself out of the bed in the morning, unlike in my previous company where i asked myself a "why am i doing this" question. people work because they have to. i work because i actually like it. i hope this feeling sustains.
i have received many congratulatory remarks on this recent development, and a lot of them laced with a dose of surprise: not many knew i applied for this job, and fewer were aware that i got it. it was a coveted position among lawyers, and i am all too blessed to have been given this singular opportunity. finally, i can say, the rest of my life begins.
having no better topic to talk about, and as i am convinced that i should commit myself to this exercise if only to make me realize the profound importance of turning a year older, i have decided that my countdown would be devoted to things that i'd like to have in the next 12 months of my life -- and by things i do not mean material objects. it may mean something intangible, an occurrence, a change in status, a new skill, a different paradigm, a shift in gears. i have not completely thought about it -- i am unsure whether i will actually be able to count 31 things. or whether i should create ideas along the way. but this i got to do. let me begin with those that have been occupying my thoughts during my long commutes.
1st thing: career direction
my tone in the last few weeks has betrayed the rumble and tumble of emotions that have raged within me since may when i received a very well-placed phone call. i had been the last two to be interviewed for a post that i must have conjured in a dream, and was blightly unaware that it actually existed. i only learned about it from a friend, who encouraged me to apply. immediately after i left the ambassador's room, i had this strange feeling in my stomach: i knew i didn't get the job. and the announcement i received over a week later was also unintentionally lost on my tired mind. "the position fell on you," i was told, and i had to ask if i got the job. and i did. i have been working with the european union since the 18th of june. i now hold office at the 30th floor of the RCBC plaza; my room has a fantastic view of salcedo village, and on clear days, i can see all the way to the rizal province, beyond laguna de bay.
this is what i have always wanted to do: to work for an international organization (although in this case, the EU is actually a supranational body) with a particular focus on the advocacies that i have always felt strongly about. i may not be working at the level of determining policy, but as i said in my interview, each part of a car serves a purpose: you could be a screw, but if you're not in the right place, things can go wrong. my title is contracts and finance officer, and friends who know my aversion for anything numeric laugh at the title. i would be most willing to explain the nature of my work.
but i am loving the work that i do. i loved it even before i applied. i have taken out many things from my lifestyle just to be able to do the work well. and i really want to do well. i do not have to drag myself out of the bed in the morning, unlike in my previous company where i asked myself a "why am i doing this" question. people work because they have to. i work because i actually like it. i hope this feeling sustains.
i have received many congratulatory remarks on this recent development, and a lot of them laced with a dose of surprise: not many knew i applied for this job, and fewer were aware that i got it. it was a coveted position among lawyers, and i am all too blessed to have been given this singular opportunity. finally, i can say, the rest of my life begins.