Good Vibes

I recently had lunch with a former student.  Over sushi and sashimi, she related to me her appreciation of the "torturing" I had on her and her classmates while under my supervision.  She said it is helping her deal with the challenges of her job.

She is Tina. She is an executive assistant to the Korean CEO of the second largest cinema chain in Indonesia.  She related to me that her boss has a different work ethic and leadership and management style compared to the Indonesian managers. Add to that the differences in language and culture.  So far, Tina holds the record of the longest serving EA in her organization, and that is something that causes wonder, amazement, and admiration from her managers and colleagues. Awesome!

Tina said she learned to anticipate things from me. Tina learned the style, preferences, and eccentricities of her superior so that, when given tasks, she can predict what her boss would want to happen and have some spare for some changes.  If she is asked to reserve a restaurant (for meetings) or hotels (for trips), she makes at least five reservations so that in case there are changes there are still four more to choose from. She goes beyond the basic things that is expected of her job.  As a result, she is being trusted by her Korean CEO with other things, and she is being rewarded for her performance.

I am not the best lecturer there is. I admit that I pressure my students in doing their best by expecting the best from them.  I may be "torturing" them as I always demand for quality, not quantity, from them.  I always remind them that it not good to memorize and it is better to understand.  For understanding comes with remembering and recalling, whereas, in memorization, the moment one slips and falls, everything will be shaken and forgotten. I often tell them to face the unknown, expect the unexpected, anticipate anything that could possibly happen. It is only when one is prepared that one can face the battle ahead, overcome the challenges, and solve any problem.

I am not my students' best teacher, I am not even good.  But, it is in my principle to touch other people's lives, leave a mark, and hope that they get something good from me.  I hope that when they get older and more successful and they look back, they will find not me but what I have shared with them.

I hope that Tina would also realize that she herself is the biggest factor why she is doing well in her job. 

It is a great feeling that, at least, one person appreciates what influence I have had on her. It's a feeling greater than the greatest riches in the world.  Good vibes.

HEAVENLY INTERVENTION

My high school friends taught me a prayer that should be recited as soon as you wake up on a Tuesday morning. It’s called a Tuesday prayer (aptly). It’s a shout-out to Catholic Saints Anne and Joaquim requesting for a pleasant surprise.

Not as religious or prayerful as my friends are, I tried reciting “St. Anne and Saint Joaquim, please grant me a pleasant surprise today” one Tuesday morn before I struggled to rise and prepare for work.  As told, I followed this humble request with the Lord’s Prayer, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be.  And let it be.

I went on to the usual grind of my day at work without really minding the details of what was going on until something popped up that caught me pleasantly by surprise. I can’t remember now what specifically the surprise was that day.  Somehow, I attributed that to the prayer I had that morning. It worked! I told my friends about that and they were so excited and told me to do it regularly.

I don’t do the Tuesday prayer on a religious and regular basis but when I remember that I wake up on a Tuesday, I recite the prayer. Surprises were as simple as a brief call or text from a friend, little yummy presents from office mates and a lunch or dinner treat from another friend to accidentally bumping into a long-lost chum from college, getting approval of an application, winning a prize in an office party and receiving great wonderful news. All these made my day.

Did I receive the surprises on Tuesdays only? No.  Most of them happened on other days, when I least expected them.

Did I pray the Tuesday prayer on Tuesdays only? No. I tried it on other days – when I thought I woke up on a Tuesday and when I purposely prayed on a Wednesday (and other days). I should say, the prayer worked – on any day of the week.

Do I recommend it? If you’re a Catholic, why not try it?  It’s only a matter of faith and optimism. It will give you a perk.

Kalye Budin: Tayabas’ Pasalubong Haven

Cassava cakes come in different forms and tastes and there is one sweet, cheesy kind that is found in the sleepy town of Tayabas in Quezon Province, the Philippines.  It is called budin and is found in abundance in a narrow strip called Kalye Budin (cassava cake street) where a string of mostly wooden houses make and sell the delicacy on the ground floors of those humble dwellings.

Budin is baked cassava (aka tapioca), coconut, sugar and margarine topped with cheese.  The cassava cakes in Kalye Budin look the same and almost taste the same. Budin has a pudding-like consistency – some are chewy, others are melt-in-the mouth – and sweet. It is a favorite appetizer, snack or dessert in this town, a 15-minute drive away from Lucena City, Quezon’s capital.

Kalye Budin is actually a short portion of Emilio Jacinto Street, a few blocks away from the public market, where local and foreign tourists drop by just to grab freshly-baked budins (sold at PHP 28/USD 0.64/IDR 5,714 per cake) and other delicacies the town and the province are known for. Nilupak (pound cassava cake), halayang ube (sweet purple yam/taro), ube candy, pastillas (milk candy), espasol (sticky rice snack) and tikoy (the local version of the Chinese sticky rice cake) can also be found there. Lucban longganisa (sausage), pansit Lucban (noodles), puto seko (rice cookies) and the potent but liked lambanog (coconut wine/vodka), uraro (arrowroot cookies from Catanauan) and apas (thin sweet cookies from Sariaya), as well as mazapan (another kind of milk candy), cassava chips, fish crackers and meringue are also sold.

Just off the corner of Kalye Budin is Rodilla’s Restaurant where the popular yema (custard) cakes are sold (PHP 120/USD 2.74/IDR 24,500 per half portion, just the right size. It’s sweet and cheesy). The restaurant serves Filipino dishes (for lunch) in an ambience common to traditional Quezon restaurants.

After pasalubong (present to bring home for family and friends)-shopping one may visit the town’s centuries-old church, known for Asia’s oldest working bell tower clock and for being one of the longest churches in the Philippines. A walk in the town proper provides a display of old houses (original and re-constructed) and a glimpse of the life of the Tayabasin.