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Today is All Soul's Day. I am at home, back from more Kendo training, and home alone. Well, my kid brother is here with me, but that's small consolation. Mom, Dad and Chimoms all left the city to Batangas to chill at the beach and I had to stick behind because I had work Friday.

I was lobbying for a massive party here at my place in their absence, but given there are no surprise guests at my door (it's 9:47 right now) I can safely assume the motion was defeated.

I don't mind being home alone, but I'm not fond of the idle time it forces on me. Heck, even reading books feels like an uneasy chore. So, I'm trying to 'stretch' the mind the way people stretch after exercise. Lord knows my mind has been jumpy-busy September and October.

1.) A42
A week ago, I staffed for A-Days. 42 batches na! My "baby brother" Cy was the Vice Rector, and I had to go and support. I'm happy for him; it's been his dream for the past four years to head a batch, and this Christmas he'll be Rector with another stellar staffer, MaraDel. How's that for a cool storybook ending? Rectors Miggy and Don-Don were also exceptional 'fathers' to the 7 participants!

I had a different vibe around this batch. I'm always "The Professional" when I staff, so I had a certain 'bounce'. I guess it comes from a realization made in the previous two months and their events. It's something like, Christ saying to me "Raph, ako bahala dito, I got your back". And while everything I didn't like about staffing still emerged, I learned to gloss over it to find Christ in the different spaces and places in the venue.

It was quite a recharge that I never saw coming. And I think the rest of the staff felt it too! Everybody was so full of good vibes all of a sudden, when in previous days I remembered more bitterness or more sadness. Call it on the current blend of staff, or the way the top people ran it well, I dunno.

All I know is I look forward to the next! Thank you Lord.


2.) AAA
My work life is WEIRD. Everyday, I go to work and find a beehive. My boss taking and making phone calls. My colleague Jill swamped with e-mails. Our finance officer making the rounds to prepare for her maternity leave (which begins now). Every other day we have people drop by for meetings, and take phone calls as we prepare for this massive Career Expo project we're doing.

As for me? I'm quietly chugging away at a bunch of e-mail queries, and designing PowerPoint Presentations. Every now and then, I get sent out to buy food or deposit a check at the bank.

I don't sit in on the pow-wows. I don't chime in my thoughts anymore on designs or marketing campaigns. I sit back and cruise, and dial in my work, and even surprise people that I'm all done for the day or week.

It's a funny feeling, really. There is suddenly a lot of idle time for me, while everyone else is scrambling to keep their head above water. I'm almost jealous, actually, because I'm not a fan of not being trusted or not being on-the-ball on things. The things they do trust (and thrust) on me are tasks I cannot, for the life of me, do on my own, and good volunteer help is so hard to find.

I still put in 8 hours a day (and sometimes more), and I still have to help out the family chores and stuff. I work hard at what I do, even when too many people don't appreciate my effort. I am paid a pittiance, and I know it. I took a risk when I got this job, with the goal of building myself a good springboard to launch myself. Lately, I feel that while I am establishing my goals for this job, the demands of the world insist I find new ways to earn more money.


3.) A-Days
I've maintained before that my Days community is not perfect. It's broken in some spots, although if I were so bold to say it, I call it broken in some people. We had a batch last week as I mentioned before, and one of the biggest reasons why it was so awesome was because some people weren't there.

There was a big, big pick-up in the mood of the staff! People were more bouyant, more upbeat. People were, by the large, more motivated to work and less distracted. There was less of a line between the 'cool kids' and the 'dorks' among us. People saw that we weren't a rag-tag bunch of factions and clans. We were one people. Without them, we were one.

I am praying that they don't come back anytime soon!